Border protection and combating people smuggling
Janet Phillips
With a rise in the number of boat arrivals since September
2008, the Government has been under increasing pressure to address border
security and people smuggling issues. According to the Minister for Home
Affairs, Bob Debus, $654 million has been allocated in this Budget across
several portfolios ‘to fund a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to
combat people smuggling and help address the problem of unauthorised boat
arrivals’.[1]
It is not clear from the Minister’s press releases or budget
papers where this funding has been allocated. However, it appears that much of it
has been allocated to agencies within the Attorney-General’s portfolio, mostly
for coastal and maritime surveillance activities and people smuggling investigations/prosecutions
(to Customs, the Australian Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of
Public Prosecutions in particular).[2] An additional $1.7 million has been allocated to the Defence portfolio for
coastal surveillance to deter people smuggling.[3]
The remainder of the Government’s whole-of-government border
protection and people smuggling funding—a total of $92.4 million—has been
allocated to the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio, the Department of
Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet (PM&C) for combating people smuggling and strengthening ‘engagement
with our regional neighbours and international organisations’.[4]
Of the funding allocated to the Foreign Affairs and Trade
portfolio ($40.2 million), much of it has been allocated to improved
intelligence on people smuggling in the region—$30.5 million over four years
goes to the Australian Secret Intelligence Agency (ASIS) as part of the
Government’s ‘layered response to the resurgent maritime people smuggling
threat’.[5] The remainder ($9.7 million over two years) has been allocated for regional cooperation
and engagement on people smuggling, including the re-establishment of an
Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues.[6]
In addition, PM&C has been allocated $2.8 million to
manage border security and people smuggling issues, including the establishment
of a Border Protection Committee consisting primarily of members of Cabinet.[7]
As part of its share in the $92.4 million for border
protection and combating people smuggling, DIAC has been allocated $39.6
million—with a focus on ‘preventive overseas interventions’:
- $14.3 million over two years for regional engagement with
Indonesia, including additional funding to the International Organisation for
Migration (IOM) for managing detention facilities in Indonesia and establishing
temporary transit facilities
- $16.4 million over two years to ‘address irregular population
flows’ through the region, including funding to develop a regional framework
for the resolution of the status of asylum seekers in cooperation with the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and IOM and
- $8.9 million over four years for improved intelligence and
compliance support at airports and seaports both offshore and onshore.[8]
Since the Budget announcements, some commentators have questioned
whether the Government’s people smuggling measures are in proportion to actual
boat arrivals. One post-Budget press report questioned whether:
The politics of border protection have skewed the Rudd
Government’s national security priorities with the budget committing $654
million to stop the flow of asylum seekers heading for Australian shores.[9]
The ‘unauthorised’ arrival of asylum seekers has raised concerns
globally for many decades with most destination countries struggling to
maintain a reasonable balance between attending to the needs of displaced
people and protecting national borders. In the case of Australia, concerns over
‘unauthorised’ boat arrivals or ‘boat people’ have occupied successive
governments since the 1970s. However, many argue that the numbers of boat
arrivals in Australia are small in comparison to the significant flows of
‘unauthorised’ arrivals in other parts of the world over the last few decades
and that the policy response by governments over the years to unplanned
migration in Australia may be excessive.[10]
[1]. B Debus
(Minister for Home Affairs), $1.3 billion to combat people smuggling and strengthen
Australia’s national security, media release, Canberra, 12 May 2009, viewed
14 May 2009, http://www.ministerhomeaffairs.gov.au/www/ministers/ministerdebus.nsf/
Page/MediaReleases_2009_SecondQuarter_12May2009-$1.3BilliontoCombatPeopleSmugglingandStrengthenAustraliasNationalSecurity
[2]. B Debus The Minister includes
figures in this budget media release of $324 million and $63 million (totalling
$387 million) for coastal and aerial surveillance activities.
[3]. Australian
Government, Budget measures: budget paper no. 2: 2009–10, Commonwealth
of Australia, 2009, p. 134, viewed 15 May 2009, http://www.aph.gov.au/budget/2009-10/content/bp2/html/index.htm
[4]. B Debus
[5]. Australian Government, Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2009–10, p. 255.
[6]. Australian Government, Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2009–10, pp. 254–255.
[7]. Australian Government, Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2009–10, p. 370.
[8]. Australian Government, Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2009–10, pp. 332–334.
[9]. P Dorling,
‘Border politics drive up funding’, The Canberra times, 13 May 2009, p.
22, viewed 15 May 2009, http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22media%2Fpressclp%2F7FJT6%22
[10]. D McMaster, Asylum seekers:
Australia’s response to refugees, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne,
2001, pp. 9, 98, 125–126.
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