Year 10: Immigration

1. An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their own country and applies to the government of another country for protection as a refugee. The term ‘asylum seekers’ refers to all people who apply for refugee protection, whether or not they are officially determined to be refugees.

2. Someone who is unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their:

• race
• religion
• nationality
• membership of a particular social group
• political opinion.
  

3.As a signatory to the Refugee Convention, Australia is obliged to provide protection for those people to whom it has obligations under the Convention, regardless of whether they entered Australia lawfully or unlawfully. Australian law requires that people who have not succeeded in their claim for refugee protection and who have no lawful basis to remain in Australia, be removed from Australia as soon as practicable. Their removal takes place following the conclusion of any litigation and when arrangements have been made to return them to their country of residence.

4. 

• Africa (70.6%): major source countries included Sudan, Ethiopia and Liberia.
• Middle East and South West Asia (24.4%): major source countries included Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.
• Europe (3%): major source countries included the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 

Video Questions:

1. It is an asylum seeker swap plan. Australia will send 800 asylum seekers in exchange for 4000 genuine refugees. 

2. They will be treated with dignity and respect. The agreement says Australia will cover the cost of any health and education expenses. They have the right to work.

3. They are sent to detention centres if they are found on a work site. They are generally treated with hard punishment such as caneing. They are not treated with proper medical attention and usually get sick.

4. Yes

5. The 567 people who have arrived in Australia since the 7th of May will have their claims processed in Australia.

6. Refugee advocates are worried that they can not guarentee that the refugees will not be treated as they normally are and are concerned that they will recieve the same treatment despite Julia Gillard telling everyone that they will have equal rights. 

7. The goal of the plan is to get rid of asylum seekers and to take on refugees who require serious assistance. Their goal is also to prevent any of the asylum seekers from suffering under traditional Maylasian treatment such as caneing and the lack of medical assistance.

8. I do think that this deal will work because I think that Malaysia will stick to their agreement of not caneing the asylum seekers as well as treating them properly and giving them the oppertunity  to work the same as any other citizen. I hope that this does work but there is always the chance that it will not.