FactCheck: How are the 12,000 extra refugees coming to Australia chosen?

Kenny, M.A. and Grewcock, M. (2015) FactCheck: How are the 12,000 extra refugees coming to Australia chosen? The Conversation, 1 December 2015 .

Abstract

Australia has decided to settle 12,000 refugees in Australia on permanent humanitarian visas – in addition to the current humanitarian program intake of 13,750.

At the time of the announcement, the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott said:

Our focus will be on families and women and children, especially of persecuted minorities, who have sought refuge in camps neighbouring Syria and Iraq.
But it’s important to note that people who are not registered with the UNHCR can still come through the Special Humanitarian Programme.

Bernardi is right to say that many persecuted minorities don’t go to camps. But that may be for a variety of reasons, not just safety fears as described by church groups. In fact, increasing numbers of refugees live in urban areas, not camps.

The final determination about which 12,000 refugees come to Australia rests with the Australian government.

Publication Type:	Non-refereed Article
Murdoch Affiliation:	School of Law
Publisher:	The Conversation Media Group
Copyright:	The Author
Publishers Website:	http://theconversation.com/au
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/29674

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