Before 9/11 and the “Tampa” episode in 2001, Australia played a thoroughly constructive and decent role in refugee resettlement following World War Two and the Vietnam War.

This happened despite a cultural fear of invasion by people who are “not like us”, which has been with us for the past 200 years. In the past two decades, however, that fear has prevailed.

http://theconversation.com/seeing-refugee-flows-in-a-broader-context-points-to-a-better-way-21499