Aussies less sympathetic toward 'boat people': UN

20 Jun 2012, 3:04 pm   -   Source: Andrew Bolton, SBS
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(Photo:AP/Anurup Titu)

(Photo:AP/Anurup Titu)

New UN statistics show Australians are less sympathetic toward 'boat people', and Australia's refugee program less generous than other nations.

UN report tracks refugee trends

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Australia has been boasting that its humanitarian program is among the best in the world., with the government saying the country has resettled about 775,000 refugees and other people in humanitarian need since the end of World War II.

But Jana Favero from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre says Australia cannot claim the humanitarian category of its immigration program is generous.

“There are over 40 million internationally displaced people and we offer 13, 000 humanitarian places each year.

“It really is quite dismal and something that we shouldn't be proud of, because while we do offer some places, we are not very generous at all.”

Coinciding with Refugee Week, new UN figures show more than 42 million people ended 2011 either as refugees, internally displaced, or in the process of seeking asylum.

The 2011 Global Trends document released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says Australia recognised just over 5,000 asylum seekers as refugees in 2011. This amounted to just over half a per cent of the global total.

The report says in the same 12 months, Australia resettled more than 9,000 people who had already been assessed to be genuine refugees overseas. This was more than 11 per cent of the global total, meaning that per capita, Australia took a high proportion. UNHCR 2011 Global Trends

But the UNHCR's Ben Farrell says 80 percent of refugee-receiving countries are developing countries.

“We find that the largest refugee hosting countries are Pakistan, Iran, and Syria all host huge numbers of refugees,” he said.

He says that Afghanistan remains the biggest producer of refugees, with 2.7 million refugees from Afghanistan around the world.

“Iraq is a major source country of refugees with just under 1.5 million people. Somalis, Sudanese and people from the Democratic Republic of Congo also feature very highly”.

The release of the UN data coincides with results of research about attitudes in Australia towards refugees and asylum seekers. It found that sixty-six per cent of Australians were sympathetic towards refugees who come to Australia.

“On the flip side, a lot of people, our survey has found, are less sympathetic to refugees who come to Australia by boat,” Mr Farrell adds.

“And we think there is a bit of the language used often in the public debate that does feed into that around ‘queue-jumpers’.”

The UNHCR says there is no "queue" of people trying to get asylum in other countries.

“The process of seeking asylum is, by its nature, a disorderly process,” Mr Farrell said. “People are forced to flee across borders often leaving their families and livelihoods behind."

The Red Cross relief agency says while it's heartening that two-thirds of Australians are sympathetic towards refugees, it is concerned about negative attitudes toward asylum seekers who arrive by boat.

Hang Vo from the Red Cross, who herself arrived in Australia by boat from Vietnam 34 years ago, says this has to be placed in context.

“In 2010, the statistics in terms of Australia's immigration program, only two per cent of people in that program came as boat arrivals,” said Ms Vo.

Refugee Advocacy Network spokeswoman, Brigid Arthur accuses some politicians and parts of the media of the demonisation of asylum seekers.

"[They are] perpetrating these myths and misperceptions that we are being flooded by boat people,” said Ms Arthur.

"The political and media debate around asylum seekers really is a race to the bottom at the moment, and so I can understand why a lot of people have misperception.

“We tend to forget that there are some basic human rights that people arriving here by boat have and that fact should never be lost.”

Refugees , Asylum Seekers , Boatpeople , UNHCR

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Your Comments

True Blue Ozzie - from Gladstone, 1 month

jim - from roma, 10 months ago

I have no problems with real refugees who fly into our country with proper paper work. How ever, I 'm dead againist all the illegal boat people who pay to come through our back door with no paper work. As far as I'm concerned illegal boat people are not refugees, their paying to try and beat our legal system and customs nothing more. Not on, Gillard has breached and comprised Australias National Security! Howard had it right and until the next election we have to tolorate the real threats.

Two BobWatch

Paul Malley - from Maryborough, 11 months ago

Watching the Politicians carrying on like so many hysterical TWO BOB watches is an unifying spectacle. My understanding is that pretty well everyone who arrives here by boat ends up with an Australian passport,( free health care , pension for life ) and the right to bring in three relatives. If the Politicians were to run a Jumbo Jet shuttle service from the Third World, which they apparently intend to do, they could fill the jet each time and there would still be boat people.

hard to be compassionate

Cleo - from Adelaide, 11 months ago

If you come by boat on average it takes 8 months to get a visa to settle in Australia.If you are in a refugee camp in Africa it takes 15 years.Look at the boat people.Mainly men and many who have burnt their papers and pretend to be under 18 thus become Guardians of the Ministership(GOM's).Therefore, they have more opportunities to getting their families in. Come in on a lie, live a lie.Surely the rights of those who have been langhuishing in camps for many years count for something!

Are we there yet?

Margaret Whittle - from Castlemaine, 11 months ago

Jana Favero from Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Ben Farrell from UNHCR argue an informed and compassionate case for desperate refugees entering Australian waters. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/) is a yardstick on which to measure our values and moral purpose. 'Article 1. All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.'

budvv

Marty - from perth, 11 months ago

Boat people are not genuine refugees!!!!!! Most, if not all come from muslim countries. If they can afford to fly to Indonesia and pay exhorbitant prices for a ricketty boat to Australia, they are either terrorists or economic refugees. Why would thy bypass other muslim countries in an effort to cause us distress????? Don't talk to me about human rights........RIGHTS are something you earn!

Spot on!

True Blue Ozzie - from Gladstone, 11 months ago

I have no problems with real refugees who fly into our country with proper paper work. How ever, I 'm dead againist all the illegal boat people who pay to come through our back door with no paper work. As far as I'm concerned illegal boat people are not refugees, their paying to try and beat our legal system and customs nothing more. Not on, Gillard has breached and comprised Australias National Security! Howard had it right and until the next election we have to tolorate the real threats.

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