ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a recent case in which policy makers in Australia were moved to replace border externalisation policies and practices with more humane ones. Known by the hashtag #LetThemStay, it involved actions taken to prevent a large group of asylum seekers being sent back to a detention centre on the island of Nauru after receiving medical treatment in Australia in 2016. The chapter analyses the role of media coverage and narratives, the actions of medical personnel, professional ethics under contradictory legal frameworks, support from nonconforming political leaders, one very determined doctor who ran for office, the rhetoric used by government ministers, public opinion, election results, public trust and political instability. Although the policy and practice changes achieved were small and temporary, this case confirms the effectiveness of several previously identified approaches to policy change. These include framing immigration detention as child abuse and focusing on the tangible harmful outcomes of international law violations, rather than on the law itself. It also provides evidence that mobilising public support at tipping point moments and loyalty shifts among the political elite may be catalysts for gaining concessions from governments in policy reform campaigns.
