Friday essay: Our utopia ... careful what you wish for
- Written by Julianne Schultz AM, FAHA, Professor of Media and Culture, Griffith University, Griffith University
Roman Quaedvlieg standing tall in his smart black suit — medals glistening, insignia flashing — looked every bit the man-in-uniform from central casting when he posed between then Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on 1 July 2015 to launch a new paramilitary unit to protect Australia’s borders.
Australian Border Force was modelled on a similar agency created in Britain two years earlier but with a distinctive accent. Its Operation Sovereign Borders had changed the culture of military, policing and customs agencies in Australia as they were pushed out of their silos with a new shared priority: stop refugees arriving by boat.
Authors: Julianne Schultz AM, FAHA, Professor of Media and Culture, Griffith University, Griffith University
Read more https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-our-utopia-careful-what-you-wish-for-165314