While Europe is facing an immigration crisis, with unprecedented numbers of refugees being shipped by people smugglers on rickety boats across the Mediterranean – with many drowning – Australia is at the opposite end of the curve, having stemmed the flow of boat people in the last two years. However, the debate rages on around issues of ethics.
The 15 years since the turn of the millennium have seen the refugee pendulum swing wildly. In 2000, the Conservative Coalition Government led by Prime Minister John Howard faced increasing numbers of refugee boats reaching Australia’s shores without government approval.
Pacific solution
There was widespread concern in the Australian community for several reasons. First, such boat arrivals attracted much opposition in the community at large. Second, failure to address this phenomenon allowed people smuggling operations, often involving criminal networks, to flourish. Third, the increase in boat arrivals was accompanied by many drownings resulting from unseaworthy vessels sinking and taking their human cargo with them. In the year 2000, around 512 refugees were drowned at sea in such circumstances. The following year, a further 356 were lost in similarly tragic circumstances.
