Immigration: Australia To Deport Asylum Seekers For Spitting or Swearing

Asylum seekers in Australia could be deported for spitting, swearing or disturbing members of the public, according to a leaked draft of Australia's Behavioural Code.

Scott Morrison, immigration minister, said detainees would have to sign a new copy of the code, which was drafted in December.

The leaked draft of the code read asylum seekers could be removed from the country for "irritating people, disturbing someone or spitting or swearing in public."

Australia, which has a number of refugees from Iran, Afghanistan, Burma and southeast Asia, has previously been criticised for its unfair policies regarding asylum seekers.

According to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, refugees may be issued a warning or may have their Red Cross payments reduced or halted entirely. They also stated asylum seekers "may be placed in detention in Australia or offshore on Nauru and Manus Island".

The draft Behavioural Code defines the term harrass as "to persistently or continually disturb or irritate" another person.

It continues: "To bully another person means to act in an unwanted or aggressive manner towards them, especially if you are in a more powerful position. Bullying includes making threats, spreading rumours, attacking someone physically or verbally, or excluding someone from a group or place on purpose."

Antisocial behaviour is described as "an action that is against the order of society." According to the new code, "this may include damaging property, spitting or swearing in public or other actions that other people might find offensive".

In a similarly vague explanation, "disruptive" actions are defined as "to cause disorder or to disturb someone or something".

Sarah-Hanson Young, a Greens representative of South Australia, has condemned the draft as "clear discrimination against a specific group of people". She added: "It needs to be called out for what it is."

In July 2013, Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister, announced a crackdown on asylum seekers coming to Australia. He stated anyone who arrived by boat and without a visa would not be eligable for asylum.

The Regional Settlement Agreement was drafted with Peter O'Neil, Papua New Guinean Prime Minister. Under the policy, new asylum seekers would be sent to Papua New Guinea where legitimate cases would be granted asylum in that country, but would lose any right to seek asylum in Australia.

In exchange for taking refugees, Papua New Guinea will receive financial aid from Australia. The agreement will be reviewed annually.

Announcing the new policy, Rudd was denounced for sayinh: "Australians have had enough of seeing people drowning in the waters to our north. Our country has had enough of people smugglers exploiting asylum seekers and seeing them drown on the high seas."