Australia and the 1951 Refugee Convention: An analysis of incentives for non-compliance
Author
Pedersen, Maria
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Abstract
This thesis examines Australia’s relationship to the 1951 Refugee Convention and asks: Is Australia complying, and if not, why? Using library-based research that draws on academic literature, legal materials, government statements, media reporting, parliamentary publications, statistics, and political speeches, the study applies constructivism to the domestic context and liberal institutionalism to the international setting. It outlines Australia’s offshore and onshore programs and practices such as mandatory detention, temporary protection visas, and offshore processing to assess compliance with key obligations. The thesis concludes that Australia is in a state of non-compliance with the Convention. It argues that domestic preferences shaped by national identity, anxieties about unregulated arrivals, and a strong preference for border control have driven controversial policy choices. Internationally, the widespread use of deterrence strategies to circumvent non-refoulement and the UNHCR’s limited enforcement capacity reduce incentives to comply. Australia thus maintains an ambiguous stance, implementing controversial measures while remaining a party to the treaty.
Dette speciale undersøger Australiens forhold til Flygtningekonventionen af 1951 og stiller spørgsmålet: Overholder Australien konventionen, og hvis ikke, hvorfor? Med biblioteksbaseret forskning, der inddrager akademisk litteratur, retskilder, regeringsudtalelser, mediedækning, parlamentspublikationer, statistik og politiske taler, anvendes konstruktivisme til at belyse den nationale kontekst og liberal institutionalisme til at analysere den internationale ramme. Specialet skitserer Australiens offshore- og onshore-programmer og praksisser som obligatorisk detention, midlertidige beskyttelsesvisa og offshore-behandling for at vurdere overholdelsen af centrale forpligtelser. Specialet konkluderer, at Australien befinder sig i en tilstand af manglende overholdelse af konventionen. Det argumenteres, at nationale præferencer formet af identitet, bekymringer over uregulerede ankomster og en udtalt præference for grænsekontrol har drevet de kontroversielle politikker. Internationalt har udbredte afskrækkelsesstrategier til at omgå non-refoulement og UNHCR’s begrænsede håndhævelsesmuligheder reduceret incitamentet til at overholde. Australien indtager dermed en tvetydig position: landet fortsætter med kontroversielle tiltag, mens det forbliver part i traktaten.
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