Fear politics and Australia’s asylum policies

Abstract

Although the politics of fear is not a new tool used by governments for political gain, it’s application to asylum seekers reaching Australia has been intensified since the 1990s. This article broadly traces the use of the politics of fear between the late 1990’s and 2001 and its negative impact on asylum seekers. Between this period, the Australian government has negatively portrayed asylum seekers as people who associate with ‘criminals’ and/or ‘potential terrorists’ and who are not worthy of Australia’s compassion and assistance. Through the creation of a sense of anxiety and insecurity against the arrival asylum seekers, substantial changes were made to Australia’s asylum polices, which continue to provide a significant barrier for asylum seekers to overcome. It is argued that such a negative portrayal of asylum seekers are convenient images that are used to ‘justify’ the governments’ intention of curbing the rights of asylum seekers.