Deterring the ‘boat people’: Explaining the Australian government's People Swap response to asylum seekers

Abstract

This article examines why Australia has taken a tough stance on ‘boat people’, through an analysis of the Malaysian People Swap response. The findings support the view that populism, wedge politics and a culture of control drive Australia's asylum-seeker policy agenda. The article further argues that these political pressures hold numerous negative implications for the tone of Australia's political debate and the quality of policy formulation, as well as for asylum seekers and refugees themselves.本文通过分析“马来人交换协议”的反响，探讨了为什么澳大利亚对“船民”采取了一种严厉的立场。根据作者的研究，民粹主义、极端政治以及控制的文化推动了澳大利亚的难民政策。作者指出，这些政治压力给澳大利亚政治辩论的定调以及政策制定的质量，对避难者和难民，都带来消极的影响。