ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 chronicles refugee and border politics under Scott Morrison, the former Minister for Immigration and Border Control and later Prime Minister. During this period, the bureaucracy was further militarized with the formation of the Department of Home Affairs. Morrison suffered a political defeat in early 2019 with the passing of the Medevac legislation which facilitated the evacuation of offshore transferees to Australia for medical treatment. After winning the 2019 federal election, he revoked that legislation and reinstated the government’s absolute control over borders and boatpeople. The Murugappan family’s decade-long ordeal in detention illustrates the extremity of Australia’s commitment to stopping the boats.
