ABSTRACT
Asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat between 2012 and 2013 have been the subject of numerous negative changes in policy and law. These have covered issues such as denial of work rights, changes to rights in review, restrictions on funded legal assistance and access to interpreters. Most recently, they have been forced through a ‘fast track’ process, pressuring them into an expedited and complex system with no funded legal assistance. This chapter presents research on the impact this process had on the mental health of the fast-track applicants and those who have stepped in to assist them. It also considers whether this context is an appropriate setting for clinical legal teaching. Should students be protected from areas that are highly politicised and traumatic or is exposure to law’s injustice an important part of legal education?
