Flickr/Takver. Some rights reserved.The spectacle of asylum seekers fleeing death and destruction in the Middle East has generated widespread concern in Australia. Due to popular pressure, the government recently agreed to accept 12,000 refugees, mostly from Syria, in addition to its usual humanitarian programme. However, this apparent generosity hides something less well known and less savoury. Successive Australian governments have detained asylum seekers arriving by boat in remote detention centers and done everything possible to hide their harsh treatment from scrutiny.
Earlier this year, the Australian parliament passed a law concerning workers at the detention centers. It is now a criminal offense for them to reveal to outsiders what is happening to asylum seekers, with a potential penalty of job loss and two years in prison.
Why is the government so afraid of workers speaking out? And why, in particular, is the treatment of refugees such a sensitive topic?
