Mary E. Crock

Refugee movements in recent years have been remarkable for the number of children journeying without the protection of a responsible adult: unaccompanied children typically comprise between 5-7% of asylum seekers world wide. This study was prompted by the suspicion that Australia like many Western countries has not responded particularly well to the challenges presented by this phenomenon.

This book explores Australia's ambivalent legal and political response to 'irregular' migrants - asylum seekers, 'boat people', 'illegals', 'queue jumpers' and 'economic migrants'