By Rich Bowden

Two researchers from Western Australia’s Murdoch University have joined to dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding those seeking asylum in Australia.

Vietnamese Boat People, 1984. Credit: Phil Eggman.

As more boats carrying asylum seekers continue to arrive on Australian shores, the university’s Senior Lecturer Dr Anne Pedersen and PhD candidate Sue Hoffman are attempting to sift through the mountain of disinformation in the public domain. One major misconception shattered by the pair’s research is that asylum seekers are not “illegal” immigrants.

“One myth is that asylum seekers are illegal immigrants,” Dr Pedersen said.

“Asylum seekers have not broken either Australian or international law by arriving without authorisation seeking protection.

She added research had shown that most asylum seekers were genuine refugees, seeking safety for themselves and their families from persecution in their home countries.

“Over 90% of unauthorised boat arrivals are found to be genuine,” Dr Pedersen said in a university statement released last week.

Co-researcher Ms Hoffman said her own studies had found that the common portrayal of people smugglers as major criminals was often incorrect.

“While there are large, transnational people smuggling syndicates, many people smugglers do not fit this profile,” Ms Hoffman said.

“Some smuggling operations are unsophisticated grassroots affairs that arise in response to local demand.

“People fleeing terror may have to evade authorities to travel overseas so they need the help of smugglers to escape,” she explained.

She said both Australia and New Zealand were targets of asylum seekers because other countries in the region do not recognise asylum seekers or refugees.

“In our region, only Australia and New Zealand are signatories to the Convention and allow asylum seekers permanent residence once their claims as refugees are found to be true,” said Ms Hoffman.

Ms Hoffman is a long-time advocate for refugees and asylum seekers and is currently writing up her doctoral thesis on the journeys of Iraqi refugees to Australia. Dr Pedersen is also a long-time asylum seeker/refugee advocate and an applied social psychologist with a particular interest in prejudice-related issues.

Tags: asylum seeker myths, asylum seekers, Hoffman, Murdoch University, Pedersen, refugees