Does our island mentality and concern about securing our physical border help explain  our obsession with “boat people”?

John Menadue explores the causes of Australia’s obsession with asylum seekers and boat people. As we seem to have lost all sense of proportion in this debate, we should adopt the metrics the UNHCR does. That is, what should matter is the total number of refugees, regardless of how they arrive.

As we’ve entered a post-truth politics era, where the media are mere arbiters of opinion, it helps to establish some facts on asylum seekers.

Read the full CPD report, A New Approach: Breaking the Stalemate of Refugee & Asylum Seekers here.

A New Approach comprehensively critiques Australia’s refugee and asylum policies and finds they are inhumane, ineffective and expensive.

To read John’s full article, click here.