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Explainer: the legal implications of ‘tow-backs’
By Azadeh Dastyari Australia has been engaging in “tow-backs” of asylum-seeker boats. This has involved intercepting boats carrying asylum seekers at sea, before they reach Australia, and forcing them to return to Indonesia. It has also emerged that Australia entered Indonesian territorial waters during at least some of these “tow-backs”. Indonesia has responded strongly, stating…
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Explainer: Australia’s obligations under the UN Refugee Convention
By Azadeh Dastyari Prime minister Kevin Rudd has indicated that he would like to revisit Australia’s obligations under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. We are yet to learn what this may mean, but it is important to clarify some misconceptions about the convention in the lead-up to his announcement. The convention was…
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law 