It has been 25 years since the 'Tampa affair' gripped Australia. This event changed the country’s politics and its borders forever.

In 2001, a Norwegian ship called the MV Tampa rescued 433 asylum seekers who were stranded on a small boat. The ship’s captain wanted to bring these people to Australia. But the Australian government, led by Prime Minister John Howard, said no. They refused to let the ship enter Australian waters.

This led to a tense standoff. For days, the ship sat off the coast while the government and the captain argued over what to do. The government eventually moved the people onto a military ship and sent them to other countries.

This moment marked the beginning of Australia’s 'stop the boats' policy. The government decided to get much tougher on people trying to reach Australia by sea. They wanted to show that they could control who came into the country.

Some people praised this move as strong leadership. They said it kept the country safe and secure. They argued that Australia had the right to choose who enters. At the time, the government even pushed back against critics, saying they wouldn't take lectures from other countries about how to manage their own borders.

Others saw it very differently. Critics and human rights groups, like the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, say the government used fear to win votes. They argue that the policy is cruel and that the country needs to move past these 'politics of fear' that started 25 years ago.

Today, the legacy of the Tampa is still felt. It set the stage for how Australia deals with asylum seekers even now. Whether you think the policy was necessary or wrong, it is clear that those few days in 2001 changed the course of Australian history.

Source: Politico