​Beyond Storytelling: Refugee Participation in Decision-Making Processes

PhD Thesis, University of New South Wales
This thesis offers an in-depth socio-legal analysis of the international law and policy framework governing the participation of refugees in decision-making processes .  The thesis asks: what does participation in decision-making refer to in the context of the international refugee regime; in what ways and to what extent have refugees been included in different decision-making areas in practice; and how could the legal and policy framework be improved to enhance meaningful refugee participation.

This thesis is publicly accessible and can downloaded here.

Refugee Participation Revisited: 
​The Contributions of Refugees to Early International Law and Policy

Refugee Survey Quarterly, 40(1), 2021, 58-81
Calls for greater participation of refugees in international law and policy making are often made with the implicit, and at times explicit, assumption that this type of participation has not occurred previously. 

​This article challenges this assumption, demonstrating that refugees and persons with lived refugee experience exercised far more influence and thought-leadership in the development of international refugee law and policy than previously considered. Importantly, these contributions have significant lessons for today.

​This article can be downloaded here.

The Meaningful Participation of Refugees in Decision-Making Processes: Questions of Law and Policy

International Journal of Refugee Law, 32(2), 2020, 200-226.
As refugees increasingly advocate for increased participation in decisions that affect them, this article (co-authored with Dr Harry Hobbs) examines whether the legal and policy frameworks in place are sufficient to reach this objective, and the barriers refugees may encounter along the way.

Looking at reform, the article considers the merits of developing a new, non-binding United Nations declaration that clearly details the right of refugees to have some authority in decision-making processes that affect them.

This article can be downloaded here.
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The Global Compact on Refugees: Opportunities for Australian Reform and Leadership

Australian Quarterly, 90(4), 2019, 36-44
When United Nations Member States adopted the Global Compact on Refugees in December 2018, attention quickly turned to how nation states could work towards the implementation of this new international legal instrument.

This article, published in Australia's oldest political science journal in 2019, proactively considers the opportunities for Australia, as well as the areas of Australian refugee policy in need of reform.

​​Full access to this article is available here. 

Innovations in Responsibility Sharing for Refugees

World Refugee Council, 2019
Commissioned by the World Refugee Council in 2019, this report examines the merits of recent initiatives and proposals that have been developed to innovate responses to refugees in the 21st Century based on the concept and application of shared responsibility. 

The report makes a series of recommendations as to how responsibility for providing protection to refugees can be more equitably and efficiently distributed in the future, including exploring the merits of establishing a binding obligation on states to resettle specific numbers of refugees.

​Full access to this article is available here.
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Refugees, Regionalism and Responsibility

Elgar Studies in Human Rights, 2016
This book, co-authored with Professor Penelope Mathew, examines the merits of regional approaches for sharing responsibility for refugees. ​The book undertakes a thorough assessment of past and present regional arrangements concerning refugees in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia and the Pacific, and considers whether regionalism has resulted in protection and durable solutions for both refugees and participating states.

Since its release, the book has received widespread critical acclaim, including excellent reviews in the Journal of Refugee Studies, the International Journal of Refugee Law, the International Community Law Review, and the Asian Journal of International Law.  The book also featured on the reading list to inform the inter-state negotiations of the 2018 United Nations Global Compact on Refugees. 

​Full access to the Introduction and Chapter One of the book are available. ​The book is also available for purchase as an e-book.

Regional Cooperation and Refugee Protection in Latin America: A 'South-South' Approach

International Journal of Refugee law, 26(1), 2014, 22-47.
Latin America is known for its innovation in relation to international refugee law. This article addresses how Latin American governments have developed and implemented its unique ‘South-South’ approach to refugee protection in the region, and examines the merits of this approach for both Latin America and the international refugee law regime more widely.

​Full access to this article is available here.
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Refugee Protection and Regional Cooperation in Southeast Asia:
A Fieldwork Report

Australian National University, 2014
This fieldwork report, published as part of an Australian Research Council grant, examines the treatment of refugees in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and discusses the issue of regional cooperation with respect to refugees in the Southeast Asia region. 

The report ​is based on fieldwork conducted by Professor Penelope Mathew and Tristan Harley in each of the three countries between October and November 2013.

The full report can be found here.