The parties are making promises like there’s no tomorrow and policy like there’s no yesterday, writes Klaus Neumann
20 Aug 10 Comments (0)The rising tide of border security
Border security has complex effects, many of them unanticipated, some of them pernicious and potentially destabilising, and some of them irreversible, writes Peter Chambers
28 Jul 10 Comments (1)Howard’s victories: which voters switched, which issues mattered, and why
The reasons for the Howard government’s electoral success are widely misunderstood, write Murray Goot and Ian Watson, and we can see the impact in the current campaign
23 Jul 10 Comments (1)Boats and votes: more evidence on the opinion gap
People might have strong feelings about asylum seekers, but there’s no sign in the latest polls that harsher measures are a vote winner, writes Peter Browne
16 Jul 10 Comments (1)Boats and votes
Labor power brokers persuaded Julia Gillard to toughen up on border protection because they believed the issue was damaging the party. But could the belief that boat arrivals influence the way people vote be one of the great myths of Australian politics, asks Peter Browne
06 Jul 10 Comments (6)Strange days on Christmas Island
A visit to Australia’s most remote outpost highlights the failure of the federal government to lead a rational debate, writes Klaus Neumann
24 Jun 10 Comments (1)A vote-changer?
Have party strategists got it right about the electoral appeal of targeting asylum seekers, asks Peter Brent
15 Apr 10 Comments (0)The asylum freeze and international law
Like the previous government’s asylum processing freezes, it’s likely that last week’s decision is based on an overly optimistic assessment of conditions in source countries, writes Savitri Taylor, and breaches Australia’s international obligations
14 Apr 10 Comments (0)Australia’s expanding borders
Our border cooperation with regional neighbours has entered questionable territory, writes Savitri Taylor
02 Dec 09 Comments (1)The fifth ripple: Australia’s place in the global refugee crisis
Without more resettlement places, interception in Indonesia is pointless, argues Peter Mares in this overview of recent trends in refugee movement
12 Nov 09 Comments (4)Liberalism’s asylum dilemma
There’s a price to be paid if we wish to remain a liberal society, write Savitri Taylor and Brynna Rafferty-Brown
28 Oct 09 Comments (4)A soft touch? Not according to the evidence
Ranked according to asylum claims, Australia is well down the league table, according to UNHCR figures
19 Oct 09 Comments (0)Seeking an alternative to life in limbo
Facing an uncertain future in Indonesia, it’s hardly surprising that some refugees and asylum seekers try to continue on to Australia, writes Savitri Taylor
22 Apr 09 Comments (0)
The fifth wave
The human cost of turning back boats is too high, writes Peter Mares. So what are the alternatives?
21 Apr 09 Comments (3)Back to the mainland
Detention practices have improved, writes Michelle Dimasi, and it’s time for the government to take the next step
18 Mar 09 Comments (0)The Mediterranean solution
Italy’s new system for processing asylum seekers offshore – with its echoes of Australia’s Pacific Solution – is generating unrest on the tiny island of Lampedusa, reports Annika Lems
10 Feb 09 Comments (1)After the exodus
The latest release of cabinet papers is a reminder of the political stresses triggered by the arrival of Indochinese boat people in the mid 1970s. Bruce Grant, author of The Boat People, looks at those events and their implications
29 Jan 09 Comments (0)Complementary protection: Labor’s point of departure
Unlike the European Union, Canada and the United States, Australia has no guaranteed protection for people at risk of serious harm in their home country. But that looks set to change, writes Jane McAdam
03 Dec 08 Comments (0)The Christmas Island challenge
The arrival of two boatloads of asylum seekers is the first test of Labor’s new detention policy, writes Michelle Dimasi on Christmas Island
05 Nov 08 Comments (0)
