Right: the Age newspaper's cartoonist Leunig imagined an Australian version of America's welcoming poem on the Statue of Liberty.
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Background information
Background
(The information provided below has been primarily taken from two sources. One is 'Australia's Humanitarian Programme 2016-17: Discussion paper' issued by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
The full text of this program can be accessed at https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/discussion-papers/discussion-paper-humanitarian-programme_2016-17.pdf
The other is a BBC background report titled 'Australia asylum: Why is it controversial?' which was published on August 3, 2016.
The full text of this report can be accessed at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28189608)
Australia's humanitarian intake of refugees
Australia's humanitarian intake of refugees has remained relatively steady over the last 20 years, with around 12,000 to 13,000 people typically accepted every year.
In 2015-16, Australia accepted 13,750 people through its humanitarian program and has committed to accepting an additional 12,000 refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq. Its humanitarian intake comes from two sources - offshore and onshore.
The offshore resettlement component offers resettlement in Australia for people overseas who are in the greatest need of resettlement and comprises those granted visas under the Refugee category and the Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) category.
The onshore protection component offers protection for people who are considered to have arrived lawfully in Australia (that is, who have usually come by plane, with a visa) and who are found to be refugees under the Migration Act 1958, or otherwise engage Australia's
protection obligations under certain international treaties.
Asylum seekers who arrive by boat
Asylum seekers have attempted to reach Australia on boats from Indonesia, often paying large sums of money to people smugglers. Hundreds have died making the dangerous journey.
Australia designates these people 'illegal maritime arrivals'. The legality of their actions is disputed. They have committed no crime under international law. In fact Australia is a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention which binds us to offer asylum to refugees (those fleeing persecution in their own country) no matter what their mode of arrival. Australia, however, terms their arrival 'unauthorised' and considers it illegal.
The Humanitarian Program does not include places for people who are deemed to have travelled to Australia illegally, including illegal maritime arrivals (IMA), unauthorised air arrivals and people transferred to regional processing centres. Temporary protection visas granted to people who arrive illegally in Australia are not included within the Humanitarian Program.
At its peak, 18,000 people arrived in Australia illegally by sea. However the numbers plummeted after the government introduced tough new policies to 'stop the boats'. The cause and effect relationship between the harsh policies and reduced numbers of unauthorised arrivals has been disputed.
Operation Sovereign Borders
Australia's two leading political parties, the ruling Liberal-National coalition and the Labor opposition, both support tough asylum policies.
They say the journey the asylum seekers make is dangerous and controlled by criminal gangs, and they have a duty to stop it. The coalition government made Australia's asylum policy even tougher when it took power in 2013, introducing Operation Sovereign Borders, which put the military in control of asylum operations.
Under this policy, military vessels patrol Australian waters and intercept migrant boats, towing them back to Indonesia or sending asylum seekers back in inflatable dinghies or lifeboats.
The government says its policies have restored the integrity of its borders, and helped prevent deaths at sea. However, critics say opposition to asylum is often racially motivated and is damaging Australia's reputation.
Offshore processing
When asylum seekers reach Australia by boat, they are not held in Australia while their claims are processed. Instead, they are sent to an offshore processing centre. Currently Australia has one such centre on the Pacific island nation of Nauru and another on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.
Even if these asylum seekers are found to be refugees, they are not allowed to be settled in Australia. They may be settled in Nauru or Papua New Guinea, and four were settled in Cambodia at a reported cost of A$55m.
Rights group say conditions in the PNG and Nauru camps are totally inadequate, citing poor hygiene, cramped conditions, unrelenting heat and a lack of facilities.
The closure of Manus Island
Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled in April that restricting the movement of asylum seekers who have committed no crime was unconstitutional. The country's prime minister has since demanded that Australia shut down the centre.
However, Australia is not prepared to accept the 850 men held in the centre and it is not clear where they will be taken
The likely closure of Manus Island means that these asylum seekers could be relocated to Nauru, which says it has additional room. Otherwise, they could be taken to the Australian territory of Christmas Island, where there is an existing detention centre.
Neither of these solutions is seen as desirable and the Australian government is attempting to negotiate with other countries that are signatories to the UN Refugee Convention to take these people.