1.
“Go back to where you came from” – Student Essay (3)
The director of the series “Go Back to Where You Came From” makes a persuasive argument that
refugees are not illegal. Using a variety of documentary techniques, he also emphasises why refugees
come over to Australia as well as the life of the people who live in refugee camps and third world
countries.
Ivan O’Mahoney shows how refugees are not illegal immigrants. He does this by presenting the facts
from the United Nations Policy on Refugees. It is hard to argue that they are here illegally when you see
the truth in writing. He also uses archival footage of refugees trying to cross Australian borders
accompanied by a voiceover of what is happening and explaining that the refugees are within their
rights to seek asylum in our country. The documentary educates the viewer on the many compelling
reasons why refugees come to Australia and by the end of the series we are persuaded to change our
views on this important issue.
Throughout the documentary, the director emphasises the dangerous journeys the refugees have taken
to reach Australia. The volunteers in the series interview people who have come from war torn countries
and then, experience those hardships first hand. The fast moving camera shots when they are visiting the
countries of origin such as Iraq, as well as the voice over giving statistics and facts about the country
such as the thousands of people that have died, creates an air of intensity for the viewer. The
documentary demonstrates how dangerous the countries are that they are coming from, leaving the
viewer in shock at these awful conditions. This shock helps the viewer to change their view on refugees
and, hopefully, from there to welcome refugees into their community.
The documentary also displays the scale of how bad the refugee problem is by making the volunteers
travel to refugee camps. The most effective way this is shown is by the statistics and facts, such as the
huge size of each camp and the tens of thousands of people living there, accompanied by panning shots
of the food lines. Both techniques emphasise the seriousness of the situation in the refugee camps. The
interviews of the refugees in the camp also add to the extent of how tragic refugee camps are. The
audience now realises why refugees will get on a boat instead of staying in the supposed haven of a
refugee camp. With that knowledge, the documentary forces us to view the whole issue of asylum
seekers and “stopping the boats” in whole new way.
The director has provided sufficient information on the refugee problem and the extent of this problem
to change the minds of people who previously viewed refugees negatively. Through the use of
documentary techniques including interviews, statistics and camera angles he has persuaded the
audience that asylum seekers are not illegal, that travelling to Australia by boat is not a crime and that
we should not greet those that get here down the barrel of a gun.