Australia hails 600 days of no asylum boats

Australia has hailed its controversial policy of turning back asylum-seeker boats after no vessels reached the country in 600 days. Almost 700 people have been denied admission to the country since Operation Sovereign Borders was launched in September 2013. Under it, asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by boat are turned back to their country of departure or sent to remote Pacific island camps. They are not allowed to resettle in Australia even if they are found to be genuine refugees. The conservative government claims the measures help prevent deaths at sea.

Tomorrow (Friday) marks 600 days since the last successful people-smuggling venture to our country and the government’s absolutely determined to make sure that it stays that way.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton

Under the previous Labour administration, at least 1,200 people died trying to reach Australia by boat between 2008 and 2013. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said that 25 boats carrying 698 people had been turned back and “safely returned to their country of departure” since the policy was introduced. Civil rights groups have criticised conditions at the camps, while doctors have said the detention of children in particular has left some struggling with mental health problems. Amnesty International has also called for an independent review into claims that Australian authorities paid people smugglers US$30,000 to return 65 asylum-seekers to Indonesia. Mr Dutton said he was “very proud” the number of children in detention had fallen from almost 2,000 in June 2013 to just 29, and he was working to bring it down further.

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