Australia Uses Harsh Graphic Novel To Ward Off Refugees

[Andy Chalk]

Australia Uses Harsh Graphic Novel To Ward Off Refugees

The government of Australia is using a rather horrific graphic novel to warn potential asylum-seekers that they are not welcome.

Australia's reputation as a place that doesn't care for immigrants who didn't get there at least 100 years ago has been bolstered by the recent release of a graphic novel aimed at potential asylum-seekers, warning them that the journey to the land down under is costly and perilous, and even if they do make it they'll be treated like crap once they get there.

The novel, originally published late last year, is almost entirely dialog-free but appears aimed primarily at Afghans. It begins with the tale of a young, presumably poor mechanic who's hornswoggled into paying big bucks to a human smuggler in order to gain entry into the promised land of Australia. But the reality of the journey turns out to be far worse than what was promised, and things only go downhill when the dangerously overloaded boat carrying the refugees is intercepted by an Australian warship.

This is the part of the comic that really floors me, because it very clearly indicates that refugee claimants will be treated like garbage by Australian authorities: flown to a remote island and forced to live in hot, crowded tents infested with biting insects, all under the watchful eye of intimidating, black-hatted guards. It's like a Jack Chick tract, except Hell is Australia - and believe it or not, it's an official Australian government publication, part of a campaign [http://www.immi.gov.au/Live/Pages/refugees/no-way.aspx] aimed at deterring asylum seekers called, "No way. They will not make Australia home."

Will it convince a few potential refugees to stay where they? Maybe - but it also shines a stark and very ugly light on Australia's immigration policies and its treatment of people fleeing horrific lives in other parts of the world. The Operation Sovereign Borders graphic novel can be read in full here [http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Storyboard-Afghanistan.pdf].

Source: The Guardian [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/government-launches-new-graphic-campaign-to-deter-asylum-seekers]


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[Dark Knifer]

Yeah we're a bunch of bastards when it comes to asylum seekers. I don't think its our job to give them citizenship or anything like that but you could keep them in better conditions, attempt some education while your at it perhaps.

Also interesting to note a fair amount of these asylum seekers already fled to indonesia and they just send them here and some of them are convicted criminals that can't go back home as they'll face punishment but were treating all of them like that for no good reason. It's a much smaller immigrant population then say the USA because of the difficulty to get here.

I think a 1st world nation with a very small population can handle a thousand immigrants a year coming from boat next to the hundreds of thousands coming from planes.

 

[Parnage]

I like the drinky, fighty good times to be had australia not the racist/ censor anything australia..

 

[Shocksplicer]

In case anyone was wondering: No, this government does not represent the will of the Australian people. They are literally fascists.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Reading <a href=http://www.immi.gov.au/Live/Pages/refugees/no-way.aspx>the actual site it seems to be fairly standard anti-illegal immigration policies aimed to stop human smuggling.

That being said, it is a rather silly graphic novel, I doubt many people in the position to try and immigrate illegally will actually read the thing. And even if they did I doubt it will dissuade them.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Australia's reputation as a place that doesn't care for immigrants criminals who didn't get there at least 100 years ago

FTFY.

The sad part is as bad as the 'immigration camps' are they are probably better than where they came from.

 

[Nimcha]

That's quite the opinion piece right there.

I've read some things about this, but it seems nothing the Australian government has ever tried has really stopped people from trying to make it anyway on those deadly little boats. So I really get why they're fed up with it and try the radical approach.

 

[ron1n]

...Why is this considered news on a gaming site? What because it's a 'graphic novel'? Bit of a stretch isn't it? =/

In case anyone was wondering: No, this government does not represent the will of the Australian people. They are literally fascists.

Actually if you bothered to look at any polls, you'd find most people are happy with the way the government has handled the boats issue.

In contrast to how badly the previous government messed it up, it's not surprising, harsh though they may be.

 

[Shocksplicer]

...Why is this considered news on a gaming site? What because it's a 'graphic novel'? Bit of a stretch isn't it? =/

In case anyone was wondering: No, this government does not represent the will of the Australian people. They are literally fascists.

Actually if you bothered to look at any polls, you'd find most people are happy with the way the government has handled the boats issue.

In contrast to how badly the previous government messed it up, it's not surprising, harsh though they may be.

Considering that no progress has been made in any way on the immigration issue, I find that very hard to believe.

 

[fix-the-spade]

<youtube=STHpMUYeznQ>
j/k

But I'm surprised at this, unless they're loading C130's up and dumping them into Kabul en masse the kind of people who get to read this and the kind of people who probably should read this are unlikely to overlap. But then it does embody Aussie border paranoia quite well, even as a white Englishman with no criminal record (maybe that was the stumbling block) it was hard to get in there.

 

[Shocksplicer]

Australia's reputation as a place that doesn't care for immigrants criminals who didn't get there at least 100 years ago

FTFY.

The sad part is as bad as the 'immigration camps' are they are probably better than where they came from.

Refugees aren't criminals mate...

 

[RedBackDragon]

hello all , your token Australian here.

Where oh where to begin,

-We are a nation of about 25 million people that is about the same population as Texas.

-Our nation is currently in Roughly six hundred and fifty billion dollars of debt! (government did that in the last 6 years from a 20 mil surplus so holy feck)

-We suffer regular droughts and water supply's have in the past been a big issue even for our small population.

Thats to give you guys an idea of our position, now......

Australia's reputation as a place that doesn't care for immigrants who didn't get there at least 100 years ago

Mr chalk before you critise our nation please look at your own

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg531/AMIO/amio.asp

from said link.

As the primary maritime law enforcement agency, the Coast Guard is tasked with enforcing immigration law at sea. The Coast Guard conducts patrols and coordinates with other federal agencies and foreign countries to interdict undocumented migrants at sea, denying them entry via maritime routes to the U.S., its territories and possessions. Interdicting migrants at sea means they can be quickly returned to their countries of origin without the costly processes required if they successfully enter the United States. The Coast Guard supports the National Policy to promote safe, legal, and orderly migration.

THAT IS ALL WE ARE DOING!

 

[Evil Smurf]

In case anyone was wondering: No, this government does not represent the will of the Australian people. They are literally fascists.

We are not all cunts with no souls, if you want to know who is, look at our dear PM and his "liberal" conservative party.
Mark my words, Australia will head into recession, all thanks to the heartless bastards on top.

Fucking hell, I hate conservative policy.

 

[bug_of_war]

We are not all cunts with no souls, if you want to know who is, look at our dear PM and his "liberal" conservative party.
Mark my words, Australia will head into recession, all thanks to the heartless bastards on top.

Fucking hell, I hate conservative policy.

Well, if we do it might be because of that 6 year period of Labor and their back stabby leap frog approach in how to deal with popularity instead of thinking about how best to govern. I agree Abbott has said some things that are less than agreeable, but I still trust this party far more than the last.

 

[Shocksplicer]

In case anyone was wondering: No, this government does not represent the will of the Australian people. They are literally fascists.

i really hope this is a troll, no one could be this ignorant or offensive in one sentence otherwise

In a thread featuring people saying that they want refugees to be treated more harshly , I'M the one being offensive? Interesting attempt at logic there mate...

 

[RedBackDragon]

In case anyone was wondering: No, this government does not represent the will of the Australian people. They are literally fascists.

i really hope this is a troll, no one could be this ignorant or offensive in one sentence otherwise

You have obviously never spoken to a member of the Australian greens party on sompthing you disagree about.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

"And I still caaaaall Australiaaaaa mine-and-no-dirty-arabs-or-asians-allowed". (Satirized version of our national anthem (mods don't hit me it's a joke)) Love this country. We're quite honestly going down the shitter.
It's like we elected our own version of George Bush, but we don't have quite enough military strength to get across the sea so we're fucking up our own country instead.

Captcha: you are here
Don't mock me.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Australia's reputation as a place that doesn't care for immigrants criminals who didn't get there at least 100 years ago

FTFY.

The sad part is as bad as the 'immigration camps' are they are probably better than where they came from.

Refugees aren't criminals mate...

Technically traveling without papers or visas is considered illegal, its just that asylum seekers are protected by various UN charters protecting them from prosecution if their reasons for defying the law are just ie: homeland is a warzone, extreme discrimination etc.

 

[Shocksplicer]

In case anyone was wondering: No, this government does not represent the will of the Australian people. They are literally fascists.

i really hope this is a troll, no one could be this ignorant or offensive in one sentence otherwise

In a thread featuring people saying that they want refugees to be treated more harshly , I'M the one being offensive? Interesting attempt at logic there mate...

yes, to call Australia "fascist" is spitting on all those who have died under real fascist governments, are you really equating yourself to some one who lived and died under Stalin or Hitler? are you typing this from a computer in a concentration camp? no you sit in a free first world nation screaming "fascism" at the top of your lungs like a petulant child, please leave my country you today tonight watching Bogan arse hole

Okay, first of all, I never called Australia fascist. I called the Liberal Party fascist. If you'd care to look at the actions typical of a fascist government and compare them to our government you'll find some unsettling parallels.

Second, read the forum rules before you start screaming unsubstantiated insults at strangers.