Rocking the Boat: Tidal turns in the rhetorical representation of asylum seekers in Australia from 2001 to 2007

Abstract

This dissertation identifies the rhetorical shifts in the representation of asylum seekers by the Howard Government from 2001 to 2007. While previous Australian research has focused on individual migration debates, such as the 'Tampa' incident of 2001, this is the first study to explore the stark shifts in the government's rhetoric over a six year period. The key migration debates examined in this work focus on the 'Tampa' and children overboard incidents of 2001, the detention of Cornelia Rau in 2005 and the arrival of forty three asylum seekers from West Papua in 2006. By employing theories formed by rhetorical critics, such as Aristotle and Kenneth Burke, this work offers explanations for the shifts present in the government's rhetoric. The Howard Government used rhetorical strategies, such as doublespeak and moral exclusion in order to gain support for policies such as mandatory detention and the Pacific Solution. The rhetorical shifts identified in this thesis illuminate Australia's volatile policy approach to migration and identifies a cultural anxiety towards immigration. This work offers a greater understanding of the motives for the shifts in the Howard Government's rhetoric on asylum seekers. While the Australian government has changed and some migration policies have been modified by subsequent governments, as demonstrated in this dissertation, much of the rhetoric remains the same. A more thorough understanding of the rhetorical motives of governments can safeguard against propaganda and consequently foster better informed debates.