Perspectives & Viewpoints
Groups like Amnesty International and the UNHCR hold this perspective on Nauru, prioritizing human rights, safety, and international law.
Humanitarian perspective
In NCEA Social Studies, these self-directed acts of defiance by asylum seekers inside detention camps are categorized as this type of response
Social action (or direct action / agency)
What temperature could it reach indoors in Nauru?
45-50 degrees celsius
The tiny Pacific island nation that partnered with Australia to host an offshore refugee processing center starting under the Pacific Solution in 2001.
Nauru
A person who has left their home country in search of safety, but whose claim to official refugee status has not yet been formally processed.
Asylum Seeker
Australia’s first female Prime Minister, whose government reopened the Nauru and Manus Island offshore detention centers in August 2012.
Julia Gillard
The political perspective held by Australian government leaders who argue that strict borders are necessary to maintain national security and sovereignty
Nationalist (or National Security)
A peaceful, extreme non-violent action where detainees refuse to eat food to protest their indefinite confinement and demand their claims be processed.
Hunger Strike
How big is Nauru?
8 square miles
The primary political justification given by consecutive Australian governments for maintaining harsh offshore detention on Nauru.
"Deterring people smugglers" (or "stopping the boats" / saving lives at sea)
A person who flees their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution, war, or violence, and whose claim for international protection has been officially recognized.
Refugee
The Australian Prime Minister who first established the "Pacific Solution" and opened the Nauru detention center in 2001 following the Tampa Affair.
John Howard
Under NCEA criteria, this underlying driver explains why a group holds a particular viewpoint—such as valuing border control over individual freedoms, or compassion over state security
Values
What is an example of a social action Australian citizens took to oppose the detention facility on Nauru
Organizing public rallies, writing petitions to parliament, or participating in protest marches.
What has made the interior of Nauru inhabitable?
Phosphate mining
What is the population of Nauru at the time of the chasing asylum documentary?
10,000
In Social Studies, this term refers to a person’s specific stance or opinion on an issue, which is driven by their underlying values or worldview.
Point of view
The Labor Prime Minister who initially closed the Nauru center in 2008, but later reintroduced the rule in 2013 stating that no asylum seeker arriving by boat would ever be resettled in Australia.
Kevin Rudd
In NCEA Social Studies, what are societal implications
The real-world, long-term consequences, impacts, or outcomes that an issue or policy creates for communities and society as a whole.
Because journalists and cameras were strictly banned from Nauru, the filmmakers had to rely on this primary method to get visual evidence from inside the facilities.
What is undercover/smuggled footage (or covert recording by whistleblowers)
On average, how long were refugees and asylum seekers held on Nauru?
3 years
Chasing Asylum highlights this severe mental health issue that became widespread among detained children and adults on Nauru due to prolonged, indefinite confinement.
Depression (or self-harm, PTSD, hopelessness)
In NCEA Social Studies, this term describes the overarching framework or worldview (such as humanitarian, political, economic, or legal) that shapes how individuals or groups see an issue.
The Liberal Prime Minister whose 2013 election campaign centered on the slogan "Stop the Boats" and who launched Operation Sovereign Borders.
Tony Abbott
The article of the UN Declaration of Human Rights stating that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
Article 14
Hand-painted signs made by detainees during daily camp marches often displayed this specific single-word demand to the Australian government and international media
Freedom
What did refugees and asylum seekers compare conditions on Nauru to?
Prison-like conditions
What is the other country that Australia uses to hold immigrants?
Papa New Guinea
In NCEA Social Studies, these are the fundamental ideas, principles, or moral standards (such as justice, human dignity, or national security) that influence how people think and act
Values
The Prime Minister (formerly Immigration Minister) whose government negotiated a deal with the United States in 2016 to resettle a portion of refugees from Nauru.
Malcolm Turnbull