402 Melbourne University Law Review [Vol 40:401 responses to it. This article, together with a companion article published separately in this issue, provides the first comprehensive analysis of the state of statelessness in Australian law. It examines Australia’s compliance with its obligations under international law to identify and protect stateless persons, and makes recommendations for future legislative reform, including the creation of a statelessness status determination procedure. CONTENTS I II III IV V Introduction .............................................................................................................. 403 Background and Context: What is Statelessness and Why Does it Matter? .... 406 The International Legal Framework and Australia’s Obligations ..................... 410 The Extent of Statelessness in Australia ................................................................ 415 The Protection of Stateless Persons in Australia .................................................. 421 A Protection for Stateless Persons Pursuant to the Refugee Convention . 422 1 Statelessness Per Se as a Basis for Refugee Status? ..................... 425 2 Assessing Whether a Person is Stateless ...................................... 427 B How is the ‘Country of Former Habitual Residence’ Determined? ..... 434 C Statelessness and Well-Founded Fear of Persecution............................. 436 D Complementary Protection ....................................................................... 440 E Ministerial Intervention: Sections 351, 417 and 501J of the Migration Act ............................................................................................... 441 F Detention or Removal Pending Bridging Visa ........................................ 442 VI The Need for a Statelessness Status Determination Procedure in Australia .... 445 A Single Procedure .......................................................................................... 448 B Access ............................................................................................................ 449 C Evidentiary Requirements.......................................................................... 450 D Role of the UNHCR .................................................................................... 452 E Children and Other Vulnerable Groups .................................................. 452 F Legal Status, Rights and Entitlements ...................................................... 453 VII Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 454