Refugee law and policy has become one of the most highly contested issues in Australian political history. The use of mandatory, indefinite detention by successive governments, boat turnback policies, temporary protection visas with limited rights and a reliance on offshore resettlement pathways have come under the international scrutiny of UN treaty bodies, NGOs and nation states alike, who have condemned Australia’s approach as inhumane and in contempt of international law. Underpinning it all is the hypocrisy of a government gatekeeping stolen First Nations' lands.

In 'Beyond the Border', the PLN in collaboration with Monash with Refugees explore what happens after a person is forced to cross their homeland's boundary in search of safety. Cutting through the political rhetoric and misinformation about the experiences of refugees, we hear from the perspectives of people who have made the journey themselves. Their truth allows us to look beyond the social and geographic borders that have been used to divide all who now call Australia home.

In this introductory episode contextualising the standalone podcast, we heard from a panel of experts in refugee law and policy through their work and lived experience: Malvina Hagedorn (Migration Special Counsel at Russell Kennedy Lawyers), Hannah Dickinson (Principal Solicitor at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre), and Sajjad Askary (a Hazara former refugee, contributor to The Age and The Guardian, and current JD student at Monash University). Together, we discussed why Australia's immigration system is "a system in crisis".