Blind Conscience

"Mandatory detention of asylum-seekers has been a prominent public issue for almost a decade. It has provoked shame and anger across society, been manipulated politically by all sides and has prompted many to become actively involved in campaigns in support of asylum-seekers. The government's recent response to the crisis precipitated by the arrivial of the West Papuans and the widespread protest that followed show that the refugee crisis is not over. Nevertheless the prospects for incarcerated asylum-seekers have improved markedly since the intervention of Petro Georgeiou and other federal Liberal backbenchers. This shift and the time that has passed since the Tampa incident, children overboard and near saturation coverage of individual asylum-seekers provide the opportunity for some reflection. Margot O'Neill has covered many angles of the story herself, but writes now about the way Australian society at large was affected. She uses individuals - activists, psychiatrists, lawyers, politicians, prison guards - with direct experience to tell the broader story. This gives the book a strong narrative drive and a powerful emotional charge."--Provided by publisher.