There are many myths circulating that contain disinformation about the circumstances of refugees and asylum seekers. Here are three:

Myth: ‘Boat people are illegal immigrants and should be sent home’  

• The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights grants all people the right to enter another country to seek asylum from persecution.  It is not ‘illegal’ for any person to exercise this right regardless of the mode of transportation which they use.  Under the United Nations Refugee Convention, Australia has international obligations to receive asylum seekers and assess their claims. 
  There are people who can be classified as ‘illegal immigrants’.  These are people who enter Australia on a visa for example as a tourist or for business or work purposes and who overstay that visa.  Many of these people are from western countries in particular the United Kingdom and the United States and are not seeking asylum.
  

Myth: ‘Boat people are queue jumpers and should wait their turn’ 

• Many people seeking asylum in Australia come from countries where there is no United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) with whom to register.  In other countries, it may not be safe to travel to a UNHCR office, seeking to register at a UNHCR office may place a person in danger, or asylum seekers may be prevented from registering for political reasons.  The suggestion that people arriving in Australia by boat are ‘queue jumpers’ does not reflect the reality of the situation which many of these people face.

Myth: ‘The Australian Government is going soft on refugees. Tougher policies will stop boat people.’ 

• Globally, numbers of asylum seekers increase or decrease as a result of conflict.  Over the past two years, global numbers of asylum seekers have increased due to continuing and escalating violence in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Sri Lanka.  It is the intensity of these ‘push’ factors that forces people from their homes rather than any changes to Australia’s refugee policy.
  Worldwide there were some 42 million forcibly displaced people at the end of 2008.  This includes 15.2 million refugees, 827,000 asylum-seekers (pending cases) and 26 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).  Pakistan is host to the largest number of refugees (1.8 million), followed by Syria (1.1 million) and Iran (980,000).  The United States is the main destination for asylum seekers, receiving 49,000 claims in 2008.  This is followed by Canada (36,900), France (35,200), Italy (31,200) and Britain (30,500).   By comparison, Australia’s 2009-10 Humanitarian Program has 13,750 places for refugees and others in refugee-like situations.