Abstract
Seeking asylum in the Australian context has a history that is strongly tied to geography. As a large island in the Asia- Pacific and an immigrant nation, Australia has an established and proactive approach to the arrival of newcomers, en-forced through the Migration Act 1958 (Cth). When it comes to the spontaneous arrival of asylum seekers wishing to engage Australia’s obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol (the Convention on Refugees), the Australian state has demonstrated a mostly punitive approach of deterrence, detention, and removal that appears out of step with the country’s reputation as a human rights- observing liberal democracy...