We should help people in need, even if they are not fellow citizens. Indeed, people seeking asylum often face other disadvantages because they are not citizens.
Fact check
There are many myths about refugees and people seeking asylum. We fact check those myths here.Other myths
Is a person who pays people smugglers thousands of dollars a ‘genuine’ refugee?
A person does not have to be poor to be a refugee. A refugee is someone who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political...
Do we need to discourage irregular movement so that we can establish an orderly asylum process?
When someone is forced to flee, they often need to leave quickly and secretly. They may not have documents and cannot wait for processes. In any case, most countries do not allow people to apply for protection overseas...
Could people who seek protection in Australia have stopped in other safe countries?
People often need to travel through countries to find safety. Many countries, including in the Asia-Pacific region, do not protect refugees.
Does ‘stopping the boats’ save lives?
Nobody wants to see people seeking asylum risking their lives to reach Australia. Nobody seeking asylum wants to risk their lives either, but they do it because it is better than going back to persecution.