Border Politics

In Border Politics, leading Human Rights barrister, Julian Burnside AO, traverses the globe to see how Western countries treat refugees, and compares his observations with Australian policies towards asylum seekers. In his travels, Burnside visits New York, London, Scotland, France and Germany, and also the hot spots of Zaatari Camp in Jordan, Lesbos in Greece and the Mexican border. Burnside argues that in many Western countries there is a growing disparity between government and the community in terms of humanitarian treatment of refugees. Governments increasingly talk up xenophobic fears, falsely labelling refugees as economic migrants, illegals and terrorists. And they are increasingly using refugees as scapegoats for social and economic problems. Since he acted pro bono in the notorious Tampa case, Burnside has become an outspoken defender of the rights of refugees and a fierce critic of Australian government policy.