How has the Australian Government and media portrayed the refugee situation?

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The media has done a good job of letting us know how 'disruptive' the detainees in Woomera have been over the past few years. The Australian government has emphasised how well they're looking after Australians in the way that they have dealt with the "boat people situation". But no one has successfully enlightened most Australians about just how inhumanely their government has been treating asylum seekers who come to Australia's shores for refuge.

There are myths circulating regarding the refugee situation, as well as images and messages all over the press intended to influence us into believing that asylum seekers are terrorists. "Solutions" have been implemented by the Australian government which simply shift the problem to other countries, and policies have been created to deal with asylum seekers that aren't actually helping anybody - including Australians.

Among the many myths regarding the refugee situation, two of the most inaccurate are that boat people are queue jumpers and that asylum seekers are illegal. Not only are both statements incorrect, they are unjust.

For instance, refugees cannot be queue jumpers in countries that don't have queues to jump. For example, Iraq and Afghanistan don't have Australian diplomatic representatives in their countries. Hence there is no standard refugee process for these people to go through to have their applications considered. Also, under Australian and International Law, a person is allowed to make a pledge for asylum when they maintain that they are fleeing from persecution. Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy other countries' asylum from persecution.

Further more, asylum seekers are not illegal, as people who arrive on our shores without prior consent from the Australian government (or with false documents) aren't actually breaking the law. They are asylum seekers - a legal status under International Law. In fact, "illegals" are people who overstay their visas and the vast majority of these in Australia are from western countries, including nearly 5000 British tourists per year.

Not only has the Australian government and media led us to believe that asylum seekers are illegal, but they have also intentionally driven many Australians to suspect these people are terrorists. The government has taken advantage of the fact that the majority of asylum seekers over the past years have been from Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the violence at Woomera.

There is no evidence to support claims that asylum seekers are in any way linked to terrorism. Last year just 11 out of nearly 1 000 people who sought asylum in Australia were rejected on grounds of character. Out of these 11 people, one was considered a security risk and he had come by air, not by boat. What Australians do need to be informed of is that the people who seek asylum on our shores are fleeing from terrorism, not trying to bring it to Australia. Also, isn't it obvious to Australians that true conditions in the Woomera detention center weren't brought to the public eye until detainees expressed their outrage by sewing their mouths together, going on hunger strikes, or by using other extreme measures?

The only "solution" the Howard government has attempted since 001 is the Pacific Solution. This strange plan involves sending asylum seekers without authorisation to neighboring countries such as Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Nauru. Here they are detained until their positions are reviewed by Australian personnel and after what can take months or even years, Australia will decide if the applicants are worthy of a temporary visa to Australia. By diverting boats of asylum seekers to pacific islands in exchange for aid and money, Australia is sending out the wrong message. The only result of this "solution" has been that people who arrive on Australia's mainland without authorisation continue to be punished and cost the Australian people more.

The government needs to establish new policies to reduce the ethical and economic strain of refugees in Australia. Millions of Australian dollars are spent on new detention centers and we see the government spending more time and money in their battle to combat smuggling by punishing asylum seekers rather than punishing the smugglers themselves.

Australia agrees to receive 1 000 refugees annually, a relatively small number compared to world standards. Countries like Tanzania host one refugee for every 76 Tanzanians. Australia, on the other hand, receives one refugee for every 1 58 Australian. The Australian government is convincing us that we're being swamped by hordes of boat people, when in reality, 4 174 asylum seekers reached Australia while Iran and Pakistan each hosted over a million Afghani refugees in that same year (Debunking More Myths about Asylum Seekers, E. Rice & The School of Education, Australian Catholic University).

This is not to say that all Australians are blind to the refugee problem in Australia. Many suggestions for new policies have been brought forward which are not only more humane, but also cheaper. Two suggestions have been 'group housing' where community members host refugees in their own homes, or refugee families being placed with other asylum-seeking families in a government owned house. The cost for group housing totals around $5.70 per person per day, contrasting with detention centers which cost Australians $18 per person per day. Surely this is a more humane option, and cheaper too.

Unfortunately, thousands of Australians only have government directed media influences to sway their opinions on the refugee situation in Australia. This information that is frequently biased and inaccurate. Such myths lead Australians to believe that asylum seekers are queue jumpers or illegals, and not only are such options as the Pacific Solution a cop out by the Australian government, but are less humane and more expensive for us all.

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