*
14.
There are some other people who leave Vietnam mainly
to improve their standards of work and life in situations where
it is debatable whether they have a well-founded fear of
persecution based on one of the grounds set down in the Convention.
The difficulty is that such people may have left without a well-
founded fear of persecution but, once outside Vietnam, may have
real fears of being-persecuted if they returned.
We have to be honest and frank about the dilemma we
face in looking at these various streams and categories of boat
people. Where people are definitely refugees Australia has
certain obligations, if the people seek refuge in Australia,
arising from the Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status
of Refugees. We are not compelled to grant permanent residence
but we must grant refugee status and abide by the requirements
of those international instruments.
In regard to refugees in places overseas who express
an interest in coming to Australia, Australia would be remiss
if it did not relax its normal entry criteria to admit people
up to numbers designated by the Government as being within
Australia's absorptive capacity and give priority to people
for family reunion and to those with close association with
Australia.
We also have to be realistic in regard to those who
are determined as not being refugees. If people who are not
refugees arrive in Australia without prior authority, the
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