<P> Australia's humanitarian program is complex, but the basic structure is one of bifurcation between onshore and offshore processing of claims for people seeking asylum . While the onshore humanitarian program is common across most signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it is Australia's offshore detention policy that is the most controversial and widely criticized by civil society members . </P> <P> Australia is the only nation - state that currently employs a policy of shifting potential people seeking asylum by boat to other nation - states for processing of asylum claims . This policy receives support from both major political parties . </P> <P> Historically, Australia is generally viewed as world leader in resettling refugees, with more than 870,000 refugees resettled in Australia since World War II . Yet Australia is also one of the world's poorest in providing durable solutions to people who come here to claim protection--people seeking asylum--especially if they come by boat . This dichotomy has persisted into the present . </P> <P> The processing of people seeking asylum that have arrived in Australia for status determination has undergone significant change over the past decade . The process for refugee status determination is dynamic, with the government's humanitarian program mainly diverging in process between on - shore and off - shore arrivals . While the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) had previously drafted to give effect to Australia's obligations under international law, mainly the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its First Optional Protocol, recent legislative amendments by successive governments have uncouple the Act from giving effect to the Convention . This has resulted in a softening on the impact of the Convention in interpreting the Act, leading to the government resiling from the protocol set out in the international agreement . </P>

Where do most asylum seekers and refugees come from before they try to make it to australia