In a scene from the documentary Border Politics, Julian Burnside stands among piles of discarded life jackets, clothing and boats, strewn across a hillside on the Greek island of Lesbos, off Turkey. In recent years, the island has become a gateway to Europe for countless refugees fleeing violence and oppression across the Middle East. He picks up a child’s lifejacket emblazoned with the cartoon of a happy, running child. The normally cool and composed Melbourne barrister is visibly moved.
