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  • Essay / Asylum seekers refugees in Australia - 2331

    Australia has a long history of welcoming individuals and groups seeking asylum as well as, unfortunately, a long history of refusing those who are perceived to be different. (McKay, Thomas & Blood 2011). Although the White Australia Policy was abandoned decades ago, it continues to have strong resonance on the conservative political right (Westoby & Ingamells, 2010). Community fear over the Australian border appears easily triggered, prompting use of the term "paranoid nationalism" to describe the increased refugee policy of the Howard years, linked to discrimination and mistreatment of claimants asylum, which still continues today (Westoby & Ingamells, 2010). ). This article will use the term asylum seeker to identify those who have arrived on Australian shores and are seeking refuge without a valid visa. My aim is to consider throughout this article this history of how asylum seekers have been constructed as the 'other' and to examine the role of public discourse and political, legal and media responses, such as the establishment of detention centers, in creating and reinforcing the position of asylum seekers as different and without belonging. So some will say that although we have come a long way since the Howard Government's treatment of asylum seekers, we have not gone far enough. Two key areas, namely the use of otherness and the establishment of detention centers, need to be questioned if we are to take seriously the responsibility of providing refuge to asylum seekers. Historical background There have been three main waves of asylum seekers in Australian history with the first wave being driven by the Indochina crisis and the second consisting of asylum seekers mainly from southern China and of Cambodia (McK...... middle of article......W. (2011), 'Any of these boat people could be terrorists for all we know!' Media Representations and public perceptions of “boat people” arrivals in Australia”, Journalism, vol. 12, no 5, pp. 607-626, “Asylum seekers and refugees: what are the facts?”, Briefing note, Library of Parliament, Canberra, Pickering, S. (2001), “Common sense and original deviance: current discourse and asylum seekers in Australia”, Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 169-186. UNHCR (2010), “Asylum levels and trends in industrialized countries 2009: statistical overview of asylum applications lodged in Europe and selected non-European countries”, Geneva. , UNHCR. Westoby , P. and Ingamells, A. ( 2010 ), “ A critical and informed perspective on working with resettled refugee groups in Australia ”, British journal of social work , Vol. 40, no. 6, pp... 1759-1776.