The ‘refugee situation ’ in Australia has fuelled intense public debate. Currently there is minim... more The ‘refugee situation ’ in Australia has fuelled intense public debate. Currently there is minimal public support for refugee protection and even less compassion for the plight of refugees. The government along with the media has fuelled a high level of confusion between immigrants who choose to leave their countries and refugees who have no choice but to seek refuge and who have a legal right to do so. Consequently, the terms ‘refugee ’ and ‘boat person ’ or ‘illegal immigrant ’ have become interchangeable in public debate. The Australian public is not generally informed about international obligations towards refugees and the many false perceptions that migrants are a major cause of economic and social problems remain largely unchallenged. In many instances, the government has demonised asylum seekers in emotive language and as a result many people consider that refugees are liars, criminals, ‘forum shoppers’, welfare cheats and queue jumpers. The government time and again has re...
This paper will examine the events that resulted in the report that Children were thrown overboar... more This paper will examine the events that resulted in the report that Children were thrown overboard from the Olong. It will discuss the events as they happened and demonstrate the how a veil of secrecy was put in place. It is important to identify the situation that was created because it was the ‘ownership’ of the information by the Department of Defence that allowed it to produce ‘evidence’ to elicit the public’s support for stronger Border Protection Policy. Introduction In mid-September 2001 the HMAS Adelaide was directed by the Commander of the Joint Task Force (CJTF), Brigadier Silverstone, to conduct a maritime surveillance and response patrol to deter unauthorised boat arrivals from entering Australian territorial waters. The HMAS Adelaide was directed to prevent potential illegal immigrants (PIIs) from gaining access to the Australian Migration Zone. The Australian Migration Zone is defined as “the land area of all the states and territories of Australia and the waters of pr...
The ‘refugee situation ’ in Australia has fuelled intense public debate. Currently there is minim... more The ‘refugee situation ’ in Australia has fuelled intense public debate. Currently there is minimal public support for refugee protection and even less compassion for the plight of refugees. The government along with the media has fuelled a high level of confusion between immigrants who choose to leave their countries and refugees who have no choice but to seek refuge and who have a legal right to do so. Consequently, the terms ‘refugee ’ and ‘boat person ’ or ‘illegal immigrant ’ have become interchangeable in public debate. The Australian public is not generally informed about international obligations towards refugees and the many false perceptions that migrants are a major cause of economic and social problems remain largely unchallenged. In many instances, the government has demonised asylum seekers in emotive language and as a result many people consider that refugees are liars, criminals, ‘forum shoppers’, welfare cheats and queue jumpers. The government time and again has re...
This paper will examine the events that resulted in the report that Children were thrown overboar... more This paper will examine the events that resulted in the report that Children were thrown overboard from the Olong. It will discuss the events as they happened and demonstrate the how a veil of secrecy was put in place. It is important to identify the situation that was created because it was the ‘ownership’ of the information by the Department of Defence that allowed it to produce ‘evidence’ to elicit the public’s support for stronger Border Protection Policy. Introduction In mid-September 2001 the HMAS Adelaide was directed by the Commander of the Joint Task Force (CJTF), Brigadier Silverstone, to conduct a maritime surveillance and response patrol to deter unauthorised boat arrivals from entering Australian territorial waters. The HMAS Adelaide was directed to prevent potential illegal immigrants (PIIs) from gaining access to the Australian Migration Zone. The Australian Migration Zone is defined as “the land area of all the states and territories of Australia and the waters of pr...
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Papers by Debi McLachlan