Airdate: Leaky Boat
ABC1 will screen a documentary Leaky Boat, to mark ten years since the Tampa incident off Australian shores.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Programming
Hot on the heels of the SBS asylum seekers series, ABC1 will screen a documentary Leaky Boat, to mark ten years since the Tampa incident off Australian shores.
Participating in the program are representatives from government, navy, SAS, MV Tampa and refugees including: Kim Beazley, John Howard,  Stephen Mills,  Brigadier Gary Bornholt, Admiral Chris Barrie, Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie, Bruce Baird, Carmen Lawrence, Philip Ruddock, Arne Rinnan, Farid Abdullah Afghan, Najib Ahmin,  Ghulam Amiri, Major Peter Tinley, Mike Scrafton, Ali Alamein, Jenny McKenry, Zaynab Hassan, Peter Reith, Able Seaman Bec Lynd, Azhar Karbalalee, Kacethar Housain, Mohammad Housain, Abdul Ghaznawi.
It will be followed by a special Q&A debate ‘Stopping the Boats’ moderated by Tony Jones.
In late winter 2001, the crew of the Norwegian tanker the Tampa pulled more than 400 refugees out of a fishing boat that was sinking off the north‑west coast of Australia. The refugees demanded to be taken to Christmas Island. As the captain complied, the Australian authorities radioed. They threatened to seize his ship and throw him in prison if he entered Australian waters. The order had come from the very top.
This night triggered ten of the most dramatic weeks in our history ‑ when Australia stopped the boats. In one of the most aggressive responses to refugee boats in the world, we sent the major warships of our Navy to confront the boats. Some extraordinary dramas followed: parents were said to have thrown their children overboard, a boat called SIEV X sank taking 353 people to their deaths, refugees wrecked and burnt their boats with deadly results. And as the boats of Muslims came towards us, the Twin Towers came down. It felt like the world would never be the same.
Ten years on, this is the story, told by the men and women who were there. They include John Howard, Philip Ruddock, Peter Reith & Kim Beazley, Navy admirals and sailors, SAS commandos, Afghan farm boys and Iraqi school girls.
The decision to stop the Tampa was one of the most popular ever taken by any Australian government. So this film is very much about us ‑ and the old dance of democracy between the people and our leaders. And its fundamental puzzle ‑ who is leading and who is following?Â
It airs 8:30pm Thursday July 7 on ABC1.
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3 Responses
The issue of asylum seekers and refugees is a human rights issue, not an immigration one.
I’m sure the ABC will do its usual fair and balanced report on this.
Ha ha ha. Fat chance.
For those of you who are finding Go Back To Where You Came From interesting viewing, this will give you even more insight into the machinations of government and how that propels policy in this shameful part of our history. For me, must see TV.