2016/18 :Should asylum seekers who attempt to come to Australia by boat be permanently denied any type of access to Australia?





Introduction to the media issue

Video clip at right:
On November 2, 2016, CGNT televised a report of the Turnbull government’s intention to ban for life from Australia asylum seekers who arrived by boat. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.


What they said...
'It is a critically important, strong message to send to the people smugglers. They must know that the door to Australia is closed to those who seek to come here by boat with a people smuggler'
Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia

'Australian law would ensure that families remain broken up, and that parents are separated from children. The bill's ban would not apply to children - but would exile their parents'
Experts in international law, Ben Saul and Jane McAdam

The issue at a glance
On October 30, 2016, the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, conducted a joint press conference to announce a proposed amendment to the 1958 Migration Act.
The Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
The amendment prevents any asylum seeker who had sought to come to Australia by boat since July 19, 2013, from ever being allowed to visit Australia in any capacity.
The ban will apply to any adult who has been sent to detention centres on Nauru or Manus Island since the date specified. It will not apply to children.
Adults who tried to enter Australia by boat since that date, but who subsequently chose to return home, will never be allowed to get a visa to Australia - even as a tourist or a spouse.
The amendment has been condemned by the Greens, welcomed by One Nation and will not be supported by the Labor Opposition.
Its supporters claim it is no more than a logical extension of the current policy. Its opponents see it as playing populist politics with the electorate and seeking to put the Labor Opposition at a disadvantage.