Australian citizens and residents who originally came to this country seeking asylum, as they are clearly entitled to do under international law, have been in the news recently, through no fault of their own and not in a good way. Sections of the media and some politicians have attacked them for doing what all citizens and residents have a right to do, that is to bring their partners and close relatives to Australia.
The ABC’s Media Watch program commendably took up this issue on 3 February under its new presenter Linton Besser. While there are certainly positive aspects to the Media Watch coverage, anyone with an understanding of fundamental refugee rights should be concerned by the way the program framed the issue, to the point of perpetuating misconceptions. To understand this, it is worthwhile having a look at Australian actions and policies towards refugees in the past few decades.
Denigrating refugees: Media Watch is no exception By Peter Job, P&I