Dark victory or circuit breaker : Australia and the international refugee system post tampa

Australia's Tampa and post-Tampa initiatives, Operation Relex and the Pacific Solution, have been described as representing national moral crisis. Alternatively, they can be seen as symptoms of a crisis in an increasingly dysfunctional international asylum system. Critics in Australia have deplored the Government's tough actions as racist, opportunistic and inhumane. However some overseas observers have applauded Australia's new policy directions for decoupling immigration aspirations from refugee protection. Should this decoupling succeed, it could allow the international community to help larger numbers of refugees more effectively. A range of initiatives are now being taken by other governments and organisations, including the UNHCR, to implement policies similar to Australia's. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s