The Tampa affair, 20 years on: the ship that capsized Australia's refugee policy

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

56% : A handwritten letter was thrust into the hands of the Norwegian ambassador, who had also come on board: a formal request for asylum in Australia.
47% : Italy turns asylum seeker boats back to Libya "to block migration"; the UK contemplates offshore processing on distant islands, expressly citing the "Australian model".
46% : In Canberra that evening, Howard introduced the border protection bill to parliament, giving the government sweeping powers to refuse entry to people seeking asylum by sea.
39% : It was quickly followed by the "children overboard" scandal - where government ministers falsely stated children were thrown into the sea in order that they would be rescued and could claim asylum - and the tragic sinking of the SIEV X in which 353 people, mainly women and children, drowned.

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