Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs: A frank, up-to-date guide by experts

· Prof Kerryn Phelps AM, former independent MP for Wentworth, will launch new myth-busting book by bestselling authors and lawyers Jane McAdam & Fiona Chong

· Easy-to-understand explanations assist anyone bewildered by the rhetoric around refugees in recent years

Bestselling authors Jane McAdam and Fiona Chong confront head-on the critical issues of asylum politics today – offshore processing, boat turnbacks, mandatory detention, and more – with their much-anticipated new book, Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs: A frank, up-to-date guide by experts, out from NewSouth in July 2019.

Professor Kerryn Phelps AM, former independent MP for Wentworth, will launch the book on 2 July, 6pm to 7.30pm at King & Wood Mallesons in Sydney. ‘We must not simply accept that we live in a “post-truth” political world,’ says Phelps. ‘Facts matter. The misinformation about refugees and people seeking asylum is aimed at justifying policies such as indefinite offshore detention, and damages Australia’s human rights reputation. This book provides the credible information needed to judge Australia’s current performance and to work towards developing evidence-based, humane policies while protecting our national security.’

Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs is a myth-busting book that brings facts to bear on a highly politicised debate. In a clear and measured way, the authors explain how Australia falls short of its international commitments, and outline what a more humane protection system could look like.

Former Liberal Immigration Minister Ian Macphee AO has described the book as a must-read for players on all sides of politics: ‘This book should be read by all Australians concerned about the inhumanity demonstrated by successive federal governments when dealing with refugees seeking our protection.’

In the five years since McAdam and Chong’s critically acclaimed Refugees: Why seeking asylum is legal and Australia’s policies are not was published, Australia’s deterrence policies have hardened further – even as the number of refugees worldwide has grown. Their new book provides a wholly updated, highly accessible account of Australian refugee law and policy.

Key insights from Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs include:

· ‘Offshore processing costs Australian taxpayers more than 50 times as much as it does to let asylum seekers live in the community while their refugee claims are processed.’

· Refugees are ‘the most entrepreneurial’ of all migrant groups, reporting more income from their own businesses, especially once they’ve been in Australia for five years.

· ‘Policies of deterrence do not address the underlying problem – the conditions that drive refugees from their homes, and the lack of safe pathways to protection.’

Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs clarifies the law, policies and politics around a critical issue facing Australia and countries around the world. With easy-to-understand examples, the book reveals the discrepancies between Australia’s international legal obligations and many of our current policies.

The authors are legal experts Professor Jane McAdam – who is the Director of UNSW’s Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, the world’s leading research centre in this area, and one of the preeminent international refugee law scholars – and Fiona Chong, a recent international human rights fellow in Columbia University’s graduate law program.

Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs should help to spark a new policy agenda, one that restores dignity to displaced people and offers humane, sustainable solutions to an important global challenge.

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