‘Australian Asylum Policies May Not Work For Europe’: Julie Bishop

Julie Bishop said that Europe might not benefit from following Australia’s strict asylum policy. The foreign minister suggested that individual governments should decide what would work the best.

Bishop said that Europe and Australia had different geographical circumstances. While there is a huge interest in Australia’s policies, she said that Europe might like to make its own decisions.

The Australian FM was speaking at a press conference after meeting her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. She said that Australia’s strict refusal of resettlements dismantled the people smugglers trade in the region. “As a result of the policies we’ve taken, there have been no boats come to Australia since January of 2014, no deaths at sea as a result. So we believe that the approach that we have taken has worked for us,” Bishop said.

Bishop, however, added what worked for Australia might not work for Europe. “I’m very conscious of the fact that the geographic circumstances are very different between Europe and Australia and I’m very conscious of the fact that what works in one circumstance may or may not work in another,” she said.

Bishop’s comment came as a direct contradiction of what Tony Abbott had said last week. The Australian prime minister earlier said that European countries should adopt Australia’s policies as he argues that his country had shown that the only way to stop the deaths was by stopping the boats.

The Australian foreign minister did refer to Abbott’s comment. She said that the Australian PM had offered up the experience of Australia for others to consider. However, it is up to the governments and regions to make their own decisions as to what they believe will work to resolve these issues, she said.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s John Garnaut wrote that Western leaders pointed to appalling abuses after Australia had wanted to turn an asylum-seeker boat back to Sri Lanka in 2014. However, Abbott called it “progress” for Australia with "human rights and the rule of law."

Bishop said that Australia and Europe were working together to counter violent extremism and fight terrorism. She mentioned that her country had stood with the EU over the sanctions regime put in place against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au