MYTH ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE A DRAIN ON CENTRELINK AND PUBLIC HOUSING
MYTH AUSTRALIA NEEDS TO PROTECT OUR BORDERS FROM ASYLUM SEEKERS
MYTH AUSTRALIA IS BEING FLOODED BY ASYLUM SEEKERS
MYTH AUSTRALIA TAKES ITS FAIR SHARE OF THE WORLD’S REFUGEE
MYTH WE NEED DETENTION CENTRES
MYTH ASYLUM SEEKERS SHOULD WAIT THEIR TURN IN THE QUEUE
MYTH MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING ASYLUM BY BOAT BECAUSE THE LABOR PARTY IS SOFT ON ASYLUM SEEKERS
MYTH ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
FACT There is no queue or processing system accessible to asylum seekers in their home countries. By definition, to be considered a refugee you must be outside your country of origin.
FACT Asylum seekers are neither illegal nor are they immigrants. Immigrants leave by choice and can return at any time. Asylum seekers are forced to leave and cannot return for fear of persecution— such as torture, imprisonment and execution.
FACT Asylum seekers have no access to Centrelink benefits. A limited number of asylum seekers have access to the Red Cross Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme for a certain period of time. The income provided by this scheme is equal to 89% of the Newstart Allowance.
FACT In 2012 poor countries received over 80% of the world’s refugees (2.4million). Pakistan was host to the largest number of refugees worldwide (1.6 million), followed Iran (868,200). Australia has 30,000, or 0.3% of the global total.
FACT No boat arrival who may have been a potential threat to national security has ever gained entry into Australia. Boat arrivals are subject to the most rigorous security checks of all arrivals into Australia. FACT The vast majority of asylum seekers arrive by plane with a valid visa, applying for asylum at a later date while living in the community. None have ever posed a threat to Australia’s national security.
FACT Between 1948 and 1992, Australia successfully and peacefully resettled 452 000 refugees. At this time, asylum seekers were processed in the community and there was no policy of mandatory detention. FACT There is now a large body of medical evidence demonstrating that prolonged detention has severe detrimental effects on psychological and physical health.14 There have been six deaths in 2010–11, five by suicide, in Australia’s detention centres. The Ombudsman reports that more than 1100 incidents of threatened or actual self-harm occurred across all places of detention in 2010–11.1
FACT Of the 10.55 million refugees under the UNHCR's mandate in 2012, Australia hosted 30,083 (0.29%). We also received just 1.47% of total asylum applications worldwide. The largest numbers of refugees reside in poorer countries such as Pakistan (1,638,456), Iran (868,452) and Kenya (564,933).
FACT The number of boat arrivals depends not so much on domestic policy as ‘push’ factors in countries of origin such as repression, discrimination, ethnic conflict, human rights abuses and civil war... conditions in origin countries… tend to be more important than conditions in destination countries.
