Bridging Troubled Waters: Australia and Asylum Seekers

Australian discourse on asylum seekers reveals surprising complexities and overlooked consequences for policy.

Australian discussion of asylum seekers is polarized between slogans of ‘Stop the Boats’ and ‘Bring them here.' Both sides have good arguments – and both have their blind spots. And both are ill-prepared for surprises that emerge from a careful look at the details: in how most asylum seekers reach Australia; in changing public attitudes; in what policies work, and which do more dama...