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Australia was discovered by James Cook in 1770 and he claimed it as the Great Britain

possession. Australia is located on the Oceania with total area 7,741,220 sq km1. After got the

independence on 1901, it became the Commonwealth of Australia with 6 states and 2 territories

of administrative; there are Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, New South Wales,

Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Nowadays, Australia is

one of the largest and developed countries in the world.

With the total number of people around 21 billion Australia becomes a county with

various societies. Australian people consist of the Australian original people and Australian

migrant. Recent time, most Australian people are migrants that come from outside Australia. The

percentage original of Australian people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, is only about 28%

of total population. Overseas migration to Australia has played important role on Australian

population changing. Each year, Australia welcomes more than 120 000 migrants and resettles

around 13 000 people under its humanitarian program.

The history of immigration in Australia has begun around 50,000 years ago. It was started

when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent via the islands of the Malay

Archipelago and New Guinea. The number of migration to Australia has been increase time by

time. Since World War II Australia has been host to more than 500,000 refugees with the

humanitarian program numbers never falling below 11,800 in any year between 1990 and 1995.
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It make Australia becomes the third highest recipient of refugees in the world2. Each year,

Australia welcomes more than 120 000 migrants and resettles around 13 000 people under its

humanitarian program. In 2006 until 2007, nearly 192 000 migrants permanently settled in

Australia and just over 14 000 were resettled under the humanitarian program3.

Many people around the world choose Australia as the destination to move. This fact is

usually caused by several factors. Firstly, economic factors, the advanced of Australia economic

makes the people around the world come to Australia to make their life better. With GDP per

capita around US$ 38,000, Australia include in the developed countries that can guarantee the

life of their people. Secondly is political factor, the political condition on their home country

which is unsafe makes the people have to moved from their country and find another safe place.

The Australia¶s foreign policy also can be a factor that makes Australia being the destination of

migration. Australia¶s immigration policy is global and does not discriminate on racial, cultural

and religious. Australia was one of the first countries in the world to develop a comprehensive,

integrated range of settlement services for immigrants. The Australian Government recognizes

that it is in the interests of new arrivals and the broader community to help immigrants become

part of Australian society as quickly as possible. The Australian government also commits to

make the cohesive and inclusive society. The government is really concern about the balance of

the rights, freedoms, and the living for Australian people. So that¶s why people argue that

Australia is one of the best places to move and get better life condition.

Recent time, there are many conflict occur in several countries that cause the instability

of economic, political and social condition on those country. That condition make the people that
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became the victim of the conflict leave their country and try to find another safe place. Australia

is one country that provides protection for asylum seekers who meet the United Nations

definition of a refugee, as defined in the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the

Status of Refugees½ The majorities of refugees in Australia have been and are resettled from

other countries through Australia's offshore humanitarian resettlement program. So, those people

claimed their self as the refugees and want to seek for asylum in Australia.

There is no doubt that the push factors concerning boat people making their way to

Australia have increased in recent years. And the numbers of people seeking asylum according to

UNHRC figures has substantially increased. Richard Towle, the regional UNHCR

representative, has said that worsening destabilization in countries such as Iraq, Sri Lanka and

Afghanistan will no doubt lead to greater numbers of people seeking asylum in our region,

regardless of border protection laws. But it is also evident that the surge in numbers on the

figures previously cited is greater than the international lift in numbers of persons seeking

asylum. That is the reason the politics of the situation allows the opposition to attack the

government on the border protection issue, but there is no clear evidence of causality between

the factors.

Australia as one of the countries who ratified United Nations 1951 Convention and 1967

Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees should be consistent in helping the refugees. Several

times ago, Australia didn¶t merely run the strict rule for the immigrant. It can be seen from the

large number of immigrant that has been settled in Australia. Yet, recent time, the high flow of

immigrant number makes Australian government implement stricter rule and action in order to

limit the number of immigrant that can enter Australia. For instance is the implementation of

several tests for the immigrant. The immigrant can¶t enter Australia before they pass the tests,
although they have complete document. Australia also has policy to make detention center on

their neighborhoods countries like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand by giving

them fun aid in order to hold the immigrant enter Australia territory.

Tampa Case is also the other example of the strict action from Australia in handling

immigrant. The case started on 26 August 2001 when a routine surveillance flight by Coastwatch

revealed the presence of a fishing boat approximately 80 nautical miles northwest of Christmas

Island. The vessel was carrying 438 potential asylum seekers en route to Australia before it broke

down. The following day Australian Search and Rescue (AusSAR) broadcast a call to any

merchant ships in the vicinity to render assistance to the stricken vessel. On this case, Australia

seems want to reject to allow the ship carrying 438 people to enter Australia territory and blame

Indonesia to responsible over the ship. The Tampa Case and other strict rule from Australian

government showed the inconsistency of Australia as the signatories of United Nations 1951

Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees in handling immigrant.

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³Why Australia as one of the signatories in the United Nations 1951 Convention and 1967

Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees has been slow in handling the immigrants?´

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National Interest is the ultimate goal of country that becomes the important factor in

decision making process4. National Interest is a fundamental objective and ultimate determinant

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that guides the decision makers of a state in making foreign policy. National Interest is general

conception, yet it is very vital and important for state¶s need. It involved on the sustainable of

state life like nations, sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, military power and

economic prosperity.

The main goal of national interest is national defense in the effort to keep the national

unity and territorial integrity. Besides, the national interest of a state is also about the

international recognition, prestige and image and power.

State usually protect their national interest in international arena by show their power.

Either in hard power like military and force, or the soft power like diplomacy.

 



Perception is the way of someone¶s view toward a phenomenon based on the fact and

information that has been provided5. For state, the attitude of the states is depend on the state

perception toward certain condition.

For this case, it focuses on the threat perception. Threat perception is the perception of a

state which considers a situation or phenomenon as the threat for their country.

There 5 factors or dimensions that influence the threat perception6:

Ê Structural Dimension, it is about the politic machinery like bureaucrat, political system,

political institution and decision maker.

!Ê Geographical Dimension, it is about the location of countries related to the geographical

position of the countries which is safe or not for its countries.

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)Ê Historical Dimension. It is related to the historical experience of someone in viewing certain

phenomena.

+Ê Socio cultural Dimension which is related to the socio culture aspect like ethnic, tribe,

religious and culture.

5Ê Economic Dimension. It relates to the economic problem like investment, international trade

pattern, and the economic factors that can affect the economic growth.

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Foreign policy is an act of a country devoted to another country or internationally that

have an impact on inter-state interaction. Foreign Policy is a strategy or planned course of action

developed by the decision makers of a state vis a vis other state or othe international entities

aimed at achieving specific goals defined in term of national interest.

Policy of a country often reflects the response of a state toward the environment domestic

and international efforts related to protecting and sustaining their national interests.

Opportunities and challenges of a country's foreign policy will always be changed according to

the national interests of the country's priorities in accordance with changes in domestic and

international environment.

According to several scholars, there are some determinants influencing the foreign policy

in one state. These determinants are divided into domestic determinants and external

determinants7:

Table 1: Factors Identified As Foreign Policy Determinants

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Coplin (1974) Decision Maker Policy Influencer Economic ± International

military context

condition

Rosenau (1966) Idiosyncratic role Governmental Societal Systemic

Brody (1966) Decision makers Special general Social structure International

and their publics and behavior system as

organizations communication

structure and role

Snyder (1962) Decision makers Internal Setting External setting

Gross (1954) Leadership, Socio ± political Economy, Geographic

ideology, culture factor population,

military

London (1965) Decision makers Domestic politics Economic, Geographic,

military national security

considerations

Frankel (1963) Decision makers Domestic Military, International

environment economic, environment

intelligence

propaganda, and

scientific support

agencies
 Besides of that, Lentner also has classified the domestic factors influencing foreign policy

into 3 categories8:

1.Ê Highly stabilized determinant, which embrace geographical size, location, climate,

population, and natural resources.

2.Ê Moderate stable determinant which include political culture, political style, political

leadership and political process.

3.Ê Unstable determinant which include short ± term attitudes, perceptions and public

opinion.

For external factors, Joseph Frankel specifically divides the international environment

into its physical environment and social environment9:

1.Ê Physical Environment

It is derived from natural and geographical location of a state. The more or less of foreign

policy obviously includes geographical, size and location. The importance of the

geographical factor was asserted by John Rosenau when he said that ³the configuration of

the land, its fertility and climate, and its location relative to other land, masses and to

waterways to mentions but a few of the more important geographical factors all

contribute to the physiological environment through which officials and publics define

their links to the external world and the operational environment out of which their

dependence to other countries is fashioned10.

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 Geographical factors can therefore be significantly related to the attitudes and decisions

which, in the aggregate comprise a state¶s foreign policy and as much should be taken

into account in the policy forming process.

2.Ê Social Environment

Social environment arises from the will of other states or from the structure of

international society. The social sector of the international environment is dominated by

state system, and states are the social groupings which must be considered as relevant in

any foreign policy calculation. Relations among single states are thus intimately related

to the matrix of international system as whole and to the study of foreign policy of states

in particular. Since official international relations are conducted mainly through

diplomatic channels and are limited to state relations, the state of the international system

as whole determines at least the broad outlines and sometimes the specific of alignments,

indicating which countries are more likely to influence or determine of domestic or

foreign policy of given states. The foreign policies of any countries are determined in part

by the foreign policies of other countries interested on the situation. This so because the

foreign determinants of any given countries foreign policies are the effective applications

and transfers of other countries. These patterns and the processes in the international

environment affects any countries foreign policy undertakings, but they are implemented

by and are the results of the capacities and predispositions of other countries in the

context of specific situations. Whichever units of the state system are directly involved in

a concrete issue, some general features of the system as a whole must be always taken

into account. Although the international society is only loosely organized, yet it has

established certain rules of behaviors which constitute an important influence on the

 behavior of a state. The international environment therefore constraints and facilitates

states through a large number of institutional mechanism that have been created by

government and through some nongovernmental organization.

The foreign policy in one state can be changed time after time. According to Rosenau,

there are 4 types of foreign policy strategy based on the changing factor11:

1.Ê Preservative Foreign Policy Strategy. The changing happened because of the changes in

environment and structural factors, but there is no changing in leadership factor.

2.Ê Promotive Foreign Policy Strategy. The changing which happens is in leadership factor,

not in environment and structural factor.

3.Ê Intransigent Foreign Policy Strategy. If the changing happens in structural factor, yet

there is no change in environmental and leadership factor.

4.Ê Acquiescent Foreign Policy Strategy. The changing happened due to the changing in

environment factor; meanwhile there is no changing in structural and leadership factor.

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From the theoretical framework, the writer can take the hypotheses that there are several

reasons for Australia government why they have been slowly in handling immigrant problems.

Firstly, in term of national interest, Australia wants to protect its national interest either in

economic and security, or sovereignty. In their perception, immigrant has become a threat that

can damage their national interest. In term of threat perception, immigrant problems for Australia

involved in the economic and socio culture dimension. In economic dimension, most of

immigrant who want to enter to Australia is unskilled people predicted will damage the
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economic stabilization of Australian economic growth. Meanwhile, in socio culture, the

government worried that the arrival of immigrant will disturb the native Australian and other

Australian that have been stayed in Australia formerly. Besides, the area of Australia today is

now full with the overseas immigrant. For this reason, the government should handle the

immigrant problems which consider as a threat for Australia carefully in order to not disturb their

national interest.

Secondly, in term of foreign policy, the pressure of Australian in handling the immigrant

has influenced the foreign policy decision making process. The immigration issue has become

the hot debatable issue in Australia so that¶s why Australian government should consider the

domestic factors carefully in making immigration policy. In the changing of foreign policy, the

case that happened in Australia is involved in Acquiescent Foreign Policy Strategy. It can be

seen because the changing that happened is the environmental factors which signed by the

external condition of other countries causing the changing in international environment. This fact

also can be a reason for Australian government has been slowly in handling immigration

problems.





$

Coplin, William D. 1974. Introduction to international politics: A Theoretical Overview.

Chicago: Rand McNally

Holsti, Ole R. 1997. International Politic A Frame Work For Analysis; 3rd Edition. Prentice

Hall Mc Englewood Cliffs: New Jersey

Jack C Plano& Roy Olton. 1982. The International Relations Dictionary, 3rd Edition. Clio Press

Ltd: England
Lentner, Howard. 1974. Foreign Policy Analysis: A Comparative and Conceptual Approach.

Colombus Ohio: Charles E. Merril Publishing Co

Parkin, A. Summers, J. & Woodward, D. 2006. Government, Politics, Power, and Policy in

Australia (8th ed.). NSW: Pearson Australia Group Ltd

Rosenau, James. 1967. Foreign Policy Area in James Rosenau (ed.). Domestic Sources Foreign

Policy N.Y: The Free Press