Frequently Asked Questions
What are the goals of CRAG Geelong?
Please click here for CRAG brochure.
Is it illegal to seek asylum by boat?
No. It’s perfectly legal to seek asylum in Australia by boat.
The Refugee Council of Australia explains why:
Asylum seekers are sometimes forced to flee in this way because it is not always safe or possible for them to obtain travel documents or travel through authorised channels.
Refugees are, by definition, people fleeing persecution and in most cases are being persecuted by their own government. It’s often too dangerous for refugees to apply for a passport or exit visa or approach an Australian Embassy for a visa, as this could put their lives, and the lives of their families, at risk. Refugees may also be forced to flee with little notice due to rapidly deteriorating situations and do not have time to apply for travel documents or arrange travel through authorised channels.
Asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat are not acting illegally. The UN Refugee Convention (to which Australia is a signatory) recognises that refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents. The Convention stipulates that what would usually be considered as illegal actions (e.g. entering a country without a visa) should not be treated as illegal if a person is seeking asylum.
In line with our obligations under the Convention, Australian law also permits unauthorised entry into Australia for the purposes of seeking asylum. Asylum seekers do not break any Australian laws simply by arriving on boats or without authorisation. This means that It’s incorrect to refer to people seeking asylum who arrive without authorisation as “illegal” entrants, as they in fact have a lawful right to enter Australia to seek asylum.
Permitting people seeking asylum to enter a country without travel documents is similar to allowing ambulance drivers to exceed the speed limit in an emergency – the action would ordinarily be considered illegal, but the under the circumstances it’s reasonable to make an exception.
Why don’t people stay in Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand?
These countries are not UN Convention signatory countries.
They don’t accept refugees for resettlement. Refugees caught in these places without visas are often jailed and/or deported back to persecution.
They also don’t have work rights or access to healthcare and education for their children. They have no means to support themselves and their families there long term.
Are people who come by boat ‘genuine refugees’?
Almost always.
People who arrive in Australia seeking safety must undergo a strict assessment and screening process to determine that they are actually fleeing persecution. Over the years, around 80 – 90% of people seeking asylum in Australia by boat have been found to be refugees in genuine need of protection. The same rates have occurred in Australia’s offshore camps.
The idea that people coming by boat are mostly ‘economic migrants’ is a myth created by certain politicians in order to get the public to support their harsh policies and breaches of international law.
Why don’t Muslim Countries assist Muslim refugees?
They do!
Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye are among the top refugee hosting countries. However, not all these countries are signatories to the UN Refugee Convention. Only signatory countries provide resettlement.
While Qatar isn’t a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, it has provided extended working visas for many people who’ve had to leave their homelands due to persecution. Qatar has also partnered with the UNHCR through Qatar Charity, to deliver essential humanitarian assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons in Myanmar, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Bangladesh.
Saudi Arabia isn’t a Refugee Convention signatory country, so people aren’t provided with official refugee resettlement there either. However, Saudi hosted people who fled from Syria without assessing them for refugee status or register them with the UNHCR.
Some Refugee Convention signatory countries have problems of their own, which make certain groups of people unsafe. Just as Jewish people wanted to get completely away from Europe during the spread of the Nazis in the 1930s, many people have wanted to leave the Middle East in order to feel safe.
People who’ve sought asylum in Geelong have different faiths, including Christian, Muslim and Hindu, or no particular religion at all.
CRAG believes that Australia, as part of the global community, needs to do more to alleviate the global humanitarian crisis by offering more places for refugees here. We also believe that Australia’s refugee intake should be non-discriminatory and open to people of all religions.
Do people seeking asylum integrate into Australian life and contribute to our communities?
Yes!
The Geelong region is home to many people who are seeking asylum or who have been granted refugee protection. Almost everyone who has work rights is working and/or studying, paying taxes and providing for their families. They have worked very hard to learn English and are participating in community events and activities like sport, art, camping, bushwalking, picnics, surfing and swimming.
There are many others who have arrived in earlier years who have established businesses and successful careers in the Geelong region, are raising their families here, and are contributing to the vibrancy of our local communities.