| Summary: | By denying the Tampa and its cargo of asylum seekers permission to dock at the nearest landfall of Christmas Island, Australia signalled that it was dramatically closing its national borders. <br> <br> Trading on fear, and using mandatory detention in the Pacific, John Howard and Philip Ruddock effectively excluded asylum seekers from the Australian courts. Frank Brennan argues that the Australian government's response was a massive overreaction, possible only because Australia is a remote country with few asylum seekers and no land borders. He compares Australia's response with that of the United States and Europe and provides a practical blueprint for countries wanting to humanely protect asylum seekers.
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