TAMPA The Turning Point – Screening and Panel Discussion

Join us at the Australian National Maritime Museum for a special screening of the first episode of the upcoming documentary TAMPA The Turning Point.

Produced by Mint Pictures for the ABC to mark the 25th anniversary of the Tampa affair, this landmark three-part documentary series explores the explosive eight-day standoff that transformed Australia’s approach to asylum seekers and continues to influence migration debates around the world.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion including:

• Dr Roland Leikauf - Curator, Post-War Immigration, Australian National Maritime Museum

• Dr Sara Dehm - Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney

• Dan Goldberg - Producer and Creative Director, Mint PicturesIn August 2001, the Australian Government refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa to enter Australian waters after it rescued 433 asylum seekers, predominantly Hazara people fleeing Afghanistan, from a distressed fishing vessel in international waters. The vessel was also carrying five crew members.

In August 2001 Australian troops boarded the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa off Christmas Island.

The ship's captain, Arne Rinnan, had rescued 433 asylum-seekers from a distressed fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean and sought permission to bring them to Australia. When the Australian Government refused the ship entry, an eight-day political and humanitarian standoff followed.

The Tampa crisis became the catalyst for Australia’s new border protection policies and a defining issue in the 2001 federal election campaign.

More than two decades later, the Tampa affair remains one of the most significant and contested events in modern Australian history. Its impact continues to shape discussions about asylum seekers, migration policy and humanitarian responsibility, both in Australia and internationally.