The 4,174 people who came by boat in 1999-00 stand in contrast to the 53,000 people illegally in the community after overstaying their visas. Given that mainland Australia shares no land border with any other country, and is a long way from most major conflicts, it is unlikely that it will ever have to deal with the numbers of refugees that some countries face. In 1998, Tanzania hosted 543,900 refugees from neighbouring countries. The 13 countries of Eastern Africa between them hosted 1.5 million refugees. Every person who arrives in Australia without a valid visa or travel document is deemed to have arrived illegally and is held in immigration detention.
Detention is mandatory, whether a person arrives by boat or by aeroplane.
If they make a claim to stay in Australia on the grounds that they are a refugee, they are held in detention until their claim for refugee status is assessed. While asylum seekers in detention receive priority in the decision-making process, they can still be held for a number of years while applications and appeals are considered. Detention, for all practical purposes, cannot be reviewed by the courts. Failed asylum seekers, and unlawful arrivals who do not apply for refugee status are held in detention until they are removed from Australia. Temporary protection Under new regulations from October 1999, anyone who arrives in Australia 'illegally' who is subsequently recognised as a refugee will be granted only a temporary three year protection visa.