The qualitative empirical research involved semi-structured interviews, a format that enabled us to capture the views and attitudes of key informants. We relied on an interview template prepared in advance; however, we adopted a flexible approach that permitted the interview to be guided by the participants. In addition to the interviews, in limited cases, we received a written response to a list of questions with permission to rely on the written response. All interviews were recorded, then transcribed by an accredited transcription service, and all quotes in this report were approved for use in this Report either at the time of the interview, or, where requested, were sent at a later date to the participant for crosschecking and verification. All quotes from stateless people used in this Report were cross-checked in person to ensure the participant was comfortable with the content of the quote and its public use. Interpreters were used for this cross-checking process where required or requested. Some interviewees preferred to remain anonymous and use a pseudonym. They either chose their own pseudonym or asked the project team to assign them one. An asterisk has been used to indicate where a person has elected to use a pseudonym. Transcripts of the interviews with stateless participants were used to draft first person ‘stories’ of that person’s experience of living stateless, which were then closely checked and reviewed by participants in a further one on one meeting (or meetings) with the research team, using interpreters where required or requested. The aim of these stories was to provide a platform for stateless participants to tell their story, in their own words. These stories can be found in the Appendix to this Report. Coding and initial analysis The research team used the NVivo database to organise data, codes, and other memos/notes. Initial and line-by-line coding was undertaken in NVivo for 17 interviews with stateless people and 77 interviews with other stakeholders. Coding and developing themes was a manual process undertaken by the researchers. The purpose of the initial coding stage was to become familiar with the data set and identify items of potential relevance to the research. This involved reading through each data item individually, noting items of interest, and aiming to be as inclusive as possible. Line-byline coding then involved reviewing the data line by line, digging deeper, refining codes and assigning additional codes to each line. Coding was an iterative process with researchers moving between the different interviews (the data set) to ensure that the codes have been applied consistently. 14 Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness | Understanding Statelessness in Australia Thematic analysis Themes were generated following a thematic analysis approach and generated from the NVivo codes using static sets. Themes were then defined according to their central organising concept, boundaries and contribution to the overall analysis in order to determine their uniqueness, to avoid overlap of codes and ensure data saturation. As such the thematic analysis shown in Figure 1: Thematic Analysis Map reflects deep engagement with a rich data set. Drawing on the comprehensive statistical, doctrinal and qualitative research undertaken for this study we identified a very large number of themes that consistently emerged from an analysis of the various sources of data. The Thematic Analysis Map depicts the multiplicity of observations and insights that we divined from the qualitative research and case law analysis. In order to test our findings and themes, particularly in relation to our doctrinal research and analysis of gaps in Australia’s legal framework, the project team hosted a one-day workshop at Melbourne Law School in November 2025. Workshop participants were legal experts from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Experts from Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory were also invited but were unable to attend. Further analysis was then undertaken to refine the multifaceted and numerous findings depicted in Figure 1 into core thematic areas which informed our recommendations. Before outlining the Project’s key findings, we first outline the legal framework- international and domestic- which governs the prevention of statelessness and protection of stateless people.