Dark Victory: How a government lied its way to political triumphDark Victory is not only a fascinating description of past events: between the lines there are dark portents of repercussions yet to come.' John Button, The Age Marr and Wilkinson have pulled together the whole confronting tale of how through iron will, subterfuge, disregard for conventions of a civilised seafaring nation, the misuse of secret intelligence and the use of military force against the helpless, the federal government closed its borders in the quest for votes Through forensic research, the authors have managed to build a story that both thrills and appals.' Tony Wright, The Bulletin They put lives at risk. They twisted the law. They drew the military into the heart of an election campaign. They muzzled the press. They misused intelligence services, defied the United Nations, antagonised Indonesia and bribed poverty stricken Pacific States. They closed Australia to refugees - and won a mighty election victory. David Marr and Marian Wilkinson, two of the country's most accomplished investigative journalists, burrow deep into the ways of the Howard government. They reveal the secret history of the campaign against boat people that began with the Tampa and ended ten extraordinary weeks later with the Australian people giving John Howard his third, most daring election victory. Dark Victory is a thrilling and provocative account of events that shattered many of the myths Australia had about itself and changed profoundly how Australia is seen in the eyes of the world. It is also a potent reminder of the fleeting nature of truth in politics. |
Contents
1 | |
18 | |
38 | |
Canberra scrambles August 27 | 62 |
Pan Pan August 28 | 83 |
Boarding party August 29 | 100 |
Labor cornered To August 31 | 118 |
Pacific Solution August 30 31 | 134 |
Truth overboard October 9 to 12 | 257 |
A military campaign October 14 to 23 | 279 |
The boat that sank October 17 to 28 | 296 |
The worst of times October 23 to November 4 | 315 |
The navy leaks November 4 to 8 | 332 |
The burning issue November 8 and 9 | 350 |
Victory party November 10 | 365 |
Aftermath | 380 |
The rule of law August 29 to September 3 | 145 |
The thick grey line September 3 to 10 | 172 |
The shadow of the Twin Towers September 11 to 19 | 189 |
The voyage of the Manoora September 3 to October 8 | 211 |
Launching the campaign To October 8 | 229 |
Orders from the top October 6 to 9 | 240 |
Notes | 396 |
Glossary and abbreviations | 433 |
Acknowledgements | 440 |
Index | 447 |
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Dark Victory: How a government lied its way to political triumph David Marr,Marian Wilkinson Limited preview - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
Abu Quassey Aceng Adelaide Admiral Afghans Alexander Downer AMSA arrived Ashmore Ashmore Reef asked asylum seekers Australia Australian government back to Indonesia Banks Barrie BASARNAS Beazley Beazley's Bill boarding party boat border protection Canberra children overboard Christmas Island claims Coastwatch commander court crew deck Defence DIMA DM and MW Downer evidence to CMI force Halton's taskforce HMAS illegal immigration Indonesia Iraqis issue Jakarta Jane Halton John Howard knew Labor later lawyers Maltau Manoora Max Moore-Wilton Migration military Minister's MV Tampa Nauru navy night Norwegian Operation Relex Pacific Solution Palapa passengers Peter Reith Philip Ruddock photographs police political polling press conference Prime Minister radio RCC Australia refugees rescue authority Rinnan Ruddock sailors Sept shipping line SIEV SIEV X smugglers soldiers statement Sundous survivors Sydney Morning Herald Thorsheim tion told UNHCR vessel wanted Warramunga
Popular passages
Page 21 - ... (a) to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost; (b) to proceed with all possible speed to the rescue of persons in distress...
Page 438 - January 1951 and owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to a fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country...
Page 438 - January 1951 and owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country...
Page 8 - Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. 2 This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Page 412 - The provisions of this article do not prejudice the International Convention for the unification of certain rules with respect to Assistance and Salvage at Sea...
Page 202 - can be a pipeline for terrorists to come in and use your country as a staging post for terrorist activities'.
Page 371 - The Crusader Australian forces were on Indonesian shores, and in fact they landed to separate East Timor, which is part of the Islamic world. Therefore, we should view events not as separate links, but as links in a long series of conspiracies, a war of annihilation in the true sense of the word. In Somalia, on the excuse of restoring hope, 13,000 of our brothers were killed.
Page 189 - In my view the evidence of the respondents' actions in the week following 26 August demonstrate that they were committed to retaining control of the fate of the rescuees in all respects. The respondents directed where the MV Tampa was allowed to go and not to go. They procured the closing of the harbour so that the rescuees would be isolated. They did not allow communication with the rescuees. They did not consult with them about the arrangements being made for their physical relocation or future...
Page 207 - The counsel and solicitors acting in the interests of the rescuees in this case have evidently done so pro bono. They have acted according to the highest ideals of the law. They have sought to give voices to those who are perforce voiceless and, on their behalf, to hold the Executive accountable for the lawfulness of its actions.
Page 439 - December, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide.