Providing permanent protection to refugees in Australia: Real change or window dressing?

Abstract

This article argues that the recent changes to Australia’s rolling temporary protection regime do not mark a shift away from Australia’s flawed and unjust asylum system for two key reasons. First, the government did not repeal the temporary protection regime nor the fast track process. Secondly, the changes mobilise and perpetuate the inherent hostility of Australia’s asylum seeker policies targeting ‘irregular arrivals’. This article offers a critical analysis of the design and operation of Australia’s asylum system, as well as an examination of the 2023 changes and the political and journalistic discourse surrounding their announcement.