Refugee Council of Australia Fact sheet 4. No 2, refugees are victims of persecution who have been recognised as fitting the definition of a refugee contained in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees , to which Australia is a signatory. Refugees have certain rights as set out in this treaty. The most important is protection from refoulement , ie from being sent back to their country of origin against their will. Also included in the Convention are stipulations with regard to issues such as access to employment, education, the legal system and civil rights.
Refugees come to Australia in one of two ways.
For some of the world's refugee population it is either impractical or impossible to go first to a neighbouring country and then to seek resettlement from there. It could also be because they would not be safe in a neighbouring country, in particular if that country was sympathetic to the persecutory regime. In these cases, individuals may choose to try to go directly to a country, such as Australia, where they can seek protection. Such people are called asylum seekers . Those who come to Australia have usually entered with a visitors', student or other temporary visa.