The Pattern of Asylum Seeker and Refugee Policy in Australia

CINDY SHABRINA PUTRY, Drs. Dafri Agussalim, MA

2016 | Skripsi | S1 ILMU HUBUNGAN INTERNASIONAL

Tugas akhir ini menganalisis kebijakan terkait pencari suaka dan pengungsi di Australia, termasuk pola kebijakan dan mengapa persoalan ini masih merupakan isu yang penting di Australia. Peran media serta persaingan dua partai politik utama di negara tersebut membuat isu ini menjadi fokus utama. Tugas akhir ini menjabarkan sekilas pandang kebijakan-kebijakan yang diimplementasikan oleh partai Labor dan Liberal-National, dan secara khusus menganalisis kebijakan-kebijakan yang dibuat oleh John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, dan Tony Abbott. Pola kebijakan berfokus pada 'keamanan wilayah' dan pencegahan 'orang luar' untuk memasuki wilayah negara. Dengan menggunakan teori Rational Actor, tugas akhir ini menyimpulkan bahwa pola kebijakan yang bersifat ketinggalan zaman dan peran media yang menebar ketakutan sangat efektif dalam upaya memenangkan pemilihan umum, sehingga tiap kebijakan tersebut diimplementasikan untuk keuntungan pemimpin tersebut. Dengan ini, tugas akhir ini menyimpulkan Australia membutuhkan pergantian naratif terkait isu pencari suaka dan pengungsi serta pemimpin yang memiliki motif ideologis dan moral, sehingga pendekatan-pendekatan yang lebih berperikemanusiaan dapat diterapkan.

This undergraduate thesis examines the policy regarding asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, including the policy pattern and the question of why the issue is still unresolved until today. Asylum seeker and refugee issues have become one of the most contentious and well-publicized in Australian politics in recent history. Insatiable and sensationalist media coverage has been accompanied by both political parties making a 'wedge issue' of the plight of desperate people seeking a better life in Australia. This paper begins by providing a policy overview of approaches by the Labor and Liberal-National coalition parties during their time in government, and then specifically analyze policy approaches undertaken during the prime ministerial reigns of John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott. A clear policy pattern focuses on border security and prevention have been used to limit the numbers of those trying to reach Australian territory. Using the Rational Actor theory, the research concludes that draconian policy approaches is an election vote-winner and thus relates to the self-interest of each of the prime ministers. Considering this, the research concludes that a change in refugee and asylum seeker narrative, along with a leader of government with both ideological and moral motive, is needed to produce a more humane set of policy approaches.

Kata Kunci : Asylum seeker and refugee, policy pattern, border security, Rational Actor