Detention as deterrence

The abhorrent policy of indefinite and mandatory immigration detention in Australia has been exposed by refugee advocates and academics and distorted through government declarations and media hyperbole. Political statements of the present and past illuminate the way in which entry restrictions, both at the border and within, enter the political arena and the public discourse. The policies are grounded in the concept of national sovereignty, a fundamental reasoning behind mandatory detention (Whyte 2003). These are illustrated in a variety of statements emanating from the political domain.