‘Australia-style?’: a model for relations with Europe?

Abstract

During the referendum campaign in 2016, Australia was a reference point for many British Conservative politicians. Since then, the UK government has increasingly looked to Australia for inspiration – it has been regarded as a possible model for the UK’s new points-based immigration scheme, and more recently, it was revealed that the UK government was considering the offshore processing and detention of asylum seekers, a policy that Australia introduced in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. A further indication of this trend is the Johnson government’s appointment of former Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, as an advisor to the UK Board of Trade, a move that was met with strong criticism fro..