In the last twenty years, sixty thousand ‘boat people’ have arrived in Australia. How we deal with them when they get here continues to polarise public opinion.
Morteza is a 30 year-old, former ‘boat person’ who landed on Christmas Island after fleeing Iran. He spent four uncertain years in detention during which he converted to Christianity, escaped from Woomera Detention Centre, sparked the riot that burned down the Port Hedland Detention Centre, and famously sewed his lips together in the Villawood Detention Centre.
He is exactly the sort of asylum seeker Jenni from Queensland says should not be allowed to stay in Australia. However, Jenni had never met a ‘boat person’ until she met Morte. Living in each other’s worlds is an explosive and emotionally draining experience for both of them. However, neither Jenni nor Morte, could have predicted the way the experiment would end.
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