Anxieties about a Porous Border: Australian Government Responses to Melanesian ‘Boat People’

Abstract

Starting in 1969, small groups of West Papuans have occasionally crossed the Torres Strait to Australia and sought its protection. In public discourse, these arrivals have figured as part of a narrative about Australia’s relationship with Indonesia. By contrast, in the public discourse about border control, which focuses on attempted travel across the Indian Ocean and distinct ‘waves’, they have been treated as a footnote, at most. In this article, we closely examine the Australian government’s response to West Papuan ‘boat people’ over time to demonstrate that, unlike in public discourse, border control considerations have loomed large in the government’s response. We argue that, in order to understand Australia’s approach to border control, we should see West Papuan asylum seekers in the context of border control policy and not only as a problem in Australia’s relationship with Indonesia.