The externalization of Australian refugee policy and the costs for queer asylum seekers and refugees

Abstract

This article argues that Australia’s increasingly externalized refugee policy harms queer asylum seekers and refugees. Australia’s refugee and foreign policies perpetuate colonial and homophobic relations with states such as Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Nauru to meet Australia’s border security priorities. The lack of recognition of queer people in Australia’s foreign policy and the harm caused by its regional refugee policies represent a clear contradiction to Australia’s claimed liberal human rights diplomatic position.