Human rights norms have been established by the United Nations and was first seen on an international scale with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948. At the time of drafting, a multitude of representatives coming from different cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world produced a document protecting fundamental human rights on a global scale. The General Assembly proclaimed that the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations” thus instilling this standard practice as human rights norms. Beyond this, the 1951 Refugee Convention upholds these established human rights norms by extending them to refugees. Australia is one of 147 signatory countries to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the document “outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect”. …show more content…
There is a heavy empathsis from the UN that signatory countries provide protection to those who fear persecution from where are currently residing (Healey 2013). However, Australia does not accept all refugees referred to it by the UN refugee agency. Defiantly, Australia uses its own discretion when evaluating the severity of the persecution and therefore who is eligible (APH 2016, para. 4). Distinctions between a ‘good refugee’ (who waits in a camp for resettlement) and the ‘bad refugee (who arrive by boat) have been cemented by politicians however international law does not allow for these