About this Book

Millions of people flee their homelands - dangerous, war-torn, poverty-stricken places where the future is counted in days. Where do they go? To a country of final destination, a land with promise of a better future. And how? Any way they can. Countires of final destination want to decide who lives in their country, which visitors are welcome in their 'house' and which are not. What happens when these forces meet, when a refugee comes 'uninvited' and collides headlong with the political and bureaucratic imperatives of modern immigration control? 'Future Seekers' explains the Australian 'solution' and: sets out clearly and simply the legal, administrative and political procedures governing refugee claims made inside Australia; collects statistics and other basic information relating to refugees, asylum seekers and illegal migration, placing Australia's experience in an international context; explores some of the common understandings about refugees and illegal migrants so as to assist people to make their own assessment of the facts and fictions that characterise the debate on refugees in Australia; and shows how it is possible to balance Australia's international commitment to protecting human rights against domestic concerns about safeguarding Australia's borders.