AIP209 Assessment Task 2: Policy Background You have from 9am Monday 21 September to 8pm on Sunday 27 September to compete this task. Complete your answer on a word document and upload it to the...

Policy Background for unitAsylum Challenges In Australia And Asia


AIP209 Assessment Task 2: Policy Background You have from 9am Monday 21 September to 8pm on Sunday 27 September to compete this task. Complete your answer on a word document and upload it to the relevant dropbox by the deadline. Late submissions will incur a penalty of 5% per day. This assessment task is worth 25% of your overall marks. In total, your answers to the three questions should add up to 1000 words. It is up to you to judge how many words you wish to write for each question, as long as the total does not exceed +/-10% of the 1000 words. The scenario The Minister for Home Affairs has introduced a bill to parliament which, if passed, would make it illegal for people in Australia’s immigration detention centres to possess mobile phones. The Minister has argued that this is a necessary measure because mobile phones are used to smuggle drugs into detention and access inappropriate online content. Refugee advocates argue that the ban is disproportionate to the problem and would seriously restrict detainees’ ability to access legal support; maintain connections with family and friends; and otherwise connect with the outside world. A Senate Committee has considered the bill and accepted submissions from the public. Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie holds the balance of power, and her vote will decide the outcome. More information on this story can be found here, and the parliamentary inquiry into the bill can be found here. Your task You are an advisor to Senator Jacqui Lambie. Senator Lambie has requested the following information on three general points that can provide background information to help her make a decision in this case. First, please address your document to Senator Lambie, using her full and proper title. Then answer each question separately, with a heading for each. 1. Please inform the Senator of the legal status of immigration detention in Australia. Your answer should include reference to the constitutional limitations on immigration detention policy and practice. 2. Please provide the Senator with a statistical breakdown of the people currently in immigration detention in Australia. (For these purposes, the detention centre on Christmas Island also qualifies as Australian detention). The Senator wants to know how many of the current detainee population are people seeking asylum, and how many are detained for other reasons. The Senator would also like some other information about the detainees, including the countries of origin of people in detention, and the length of time they have spent in detention, and whether there are any children in detention. You can provide this information using dot points or tables if you wish. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/lambie-outsourcing-casting-vote-on-refugee-phone-ban-to-public-poll-20200913-p55v66.html?mc_cid=9f9d8b9ca7&mc_eid=269cc24484 https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/ProhibitedItems/Report https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/ProhibitedItems/Report 3. Senator Lambie has taken the unusual step of asking her constituents to help her decide how to vote on the bill. In your view, is this the best way for politicians to make asylum policy decisions? Why or why not? Please explain to Senator Lambie the reasons for your position, including whether you think asylum policy decisions should be treated differently to other policy areas. Referencing Your assessment task should be fully referenced using the Harvard system (in-text citations), and include a reference list at the end of your document. The reference list will not be counted as part of the overall word count. You should refer to at least 8-10 references in completing this task. They should be a combination of scholarly sources (such as books and journal articles), as well as quality media sources. Some of the information you will need to answer the questions will come from the readings and material in the unit site. To find other scholarly sources, you will need to search the Deakin Library database or Google Scholar. You might also need to access good quality internet material. Here are some suggestions for websites that contain information that might help you answer these questions. Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs - Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 Refugee Council of Australia The Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law Asylum Insight *** Good luck! *** https://scholar.google.com/ https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/ProhibitedItems/Report https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/ProhibitedItems/Report https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/ https://www.kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/ https://www.asyluminsight.com/