Regional engagement and effective protection: the Australian way

In this talk, Professor Kneebone explains the coincidence between the Australian governments ambivalent acceptance of its obligations under the Refugee Convention and its securitised approach to regional solutions for refugees under the Bali Process (that is, the Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime). Australia is situated in the Asia and Pacific region which is host to some 10.6 million people of concern to UNHCR, representing almost 30 per cent of the global refugee population. Yet few countries in the region are signatories to the Refugee Convention, and there is no effective regional engagement leading to durable solutions for refugees.Professor Kneebone explains how the highly politicised discourse in Australia on refugees reflects a long-standing culture of border control and the ability to use the legal system with impunity.