ABSTRACT
One of the key problems of the global refugee regime is the absence of binding mechanisms for ensuring international cooperation with regard to the protection of people fleeing persecution. In the last decades, wealthier countries have deployed responsibility-shifting policies aiming to restrict their international obligations to help refugees without officially breaching these obligations. The UK and Australia, both early signatories of the Refugee Convention, have been at the forefront of such developments, which have played out differently in part due to different regional environments. Australia was significantly involved in collective action aiming at resettling refugees fleeing the Indo-Chinese crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. This involvement was not only due to domestic political leadership but also due to a favourable international and domestic policy environment. Responsibility-shifting took a different dimension following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States.
