If It Ain't Broke: An Evaluation of the Australian Asylum Program under Rudd and Gillard

This paper examines the evolution of asylum policy under the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd governments between 2008 and 2013 and evaluates its impact on irregular maritime arrivals and deaths at sea. In addition to providing an account of asylum policy during this political epoch - and the dramatic rise in irregular maritime arrivals and deaths at seas - we also evaluate these policies in an effort to distil some broader public policy implications.