This lecture is presented by the ANU Law Students for Refugees group within the ANU College of Law’s Law Reform and Social Justice program, in partnership with the ANU Centre for European Studies.

In August, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister explicitly stated that the country should follow Australia’s ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’ policy of not allowing asylum seekers who arrive by boat to enter Australia and apply for protection visas. This statement and other policy developments in recent times in Europe’s changing response to the migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, raises questions once again about the interdependent nature of asylum laws around the world.

Daniel Ghezelbash, author of Refuge Lost: Asylum Law in an Interdependent World (CUP, 2018), will discuss Australia’s model of refugee law and policy within an international context, focusing on recent developments in Europe and the potential limitations – and dangers – of the adoption of these policies.