Australia Yearbook - 2001

188 Year Book Australia 2001
Turning to the people who enter Australia
illegally, it is clear that Australia has in recent
times become a more important target for such
movements. There are no data on persons who
have been successful in such attempts, but there
are on the numbers that have been intercepted.
These can be divided into those detected arriving
by air and those coming by boat. Graph C4.25
shows that in 1998–99, 2,106 people were refused
entry at Australia’s airports (36% more than the
1,550 in 1997–98).
In 1998–99, 926 people arrived without authority
on 42 boats, compared with 157 on thirteen boats
(an increase of 490%) in 1997–98. However, in
1999–2000 there has been an unprecedented
increase in boat arrivals, with 75 boats and 4,174
boat people being detected. This compares
with a total of 2,059 Vietnamese boat people
being intercepted as part of the refugee
exodus from that country between 1975 and
1989. Table C4.26 shows the escalation of
movement that occurred in 1999–2000.
The recent movement has involved
substantial numbers from the Middle East
and Afghanistan, whereas among previously
undocumented migrants those from
Southern China and Cambodia dominated. It
is apparent that Australia has been
increasingly targeted by people smugglers
who have been active in facilitating
movement into North America and Europe.
C4.25 UNAUTHORISED ARRIVALS, Australia—1989–90 to 1999–2000
'000
5
4
Boat arrivals
Air arrivals
3
2
1
1989–90 1991–92 1993–94 1995–96 1997–98 1999–00
0
Source: DIMA 2000b.
C4.26 CLANDESTINE BOAT ARRIVALS DETECTED, Numbers of Boats and Persons
Aboard—1989–2000
Numbers on Board
Boats
Arrivals
Minimum
Maximum
Year
no.
no.
no.
no.
1989–90 3 224 26 119
1990–91 5 158 3 77
1991–92 3 78 10 56
1992–93 4 194 2 113
1993–94 6 194 4 58
1994–95 21 1 071 5 118
1995–96 14 589 4 86
1996–97 13 365 4 139
1997–98 13 157 3 30
1998–99 42 926 2 112
1999–2000 75 4 174 3 353
2000 to 25 July 2 66 30 36
Source: DIMA 2000b.