One of the biggest issues that the Australian immigration department is currently facing is how to deal with the refugees that are arriving in the country each year. And with pressure coming from both in and out of the country, the government is hard pressed to come up with a solution. However, it seems that this one is not going to be easy at all.
It should be noted that, under the current immigration laws, any vessel that arrives in the country without proper documentation is immediately seized by the Border Security group, with the occupants being sent to the immigration centers. Since a lot of refugees often take this route, many of them have been detained in these centers. However, recent events have highlighted a lot of problems encountered in the centers, such as overcrowding.
In response to this, one of the biggest solutions being espoused by the current government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard is the establishment of an overseas refugee center to direct these asylum seekers to other countries. It is interesting to note that this one is in fact not an entirely new proposal, as it has already been presented in 2007 by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
While the initial proposal did not push through, it has been revisited this year by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship as a possible solution to the current refugee situation. This time around, the country being considered is East Timor, due to its proximity to Australia. According to Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Bowen, new negotiations between the two countries' governments are now starting to have good results.
However, there are groups who are concerned that an offshore center might not be the best way after all. They have pointed that the center may turn out, at the most, only a temporary solution to the problem. These groups also argue that it is likely that the center would face the same problems that has plagued other centers, once more refugees are diverted to it.
Thus they have urged the government to instead find a better solution to the matter. One of the things that they have suggested needs a lot more work is the speed of refugee processing. They have said that, by speeding up the process, Australia would in fact be able to manage the influx of refugees better.
On the other hand, other groups have said that the establishment of an immigration center is more like an attempt by Australia to abandon its responsibilities to the international community. They have said that, being a signatory to various international treaties, the country needs to perform its duties of helping asylum seekers.
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