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Within hours of the Australian Border Force 鈥 Prime Minister Tony Abbott's paramilitary amalgamation of the Customs Service and immigration department 鈥 announcing on August 28 that they would be joining the Victorian police and privatised public transport operators in Operation Fortitude to check the visa status of 鈥渁nti-social鈥 elements on the streets of Melbourne, hundreds of protesters had gathered at Flinders Street Station and social media had exploded in outrage.
In less than a fortnight a series of tragedies took place on the borders of Europe, spurring a continent-wide debate over refugee policy.
Carol Hucker worked on Manus Island as a counsellor for International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) and as a case worker for the Salvation Army from June 2013 to July last year. This is the second part of a multi-part series and covers September 2013.
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