Informal Interview
Interviewee, Luke Darcy
Having developed a series of loosely ended questions around the topic of asylum seekers and refugees I sat with Luke to discuss his opinion and gain an understanding of his stance around this current, pressing matter.
P: How much would you say you know around the topic of asylum seekers and refugees?
L: I know a bit… I have a general understanding over the debate of the issue and the ‘stop the boats’ policy and detention centres but I wouldn’t say I really know the finer details…I know what the politicians think about the issues but not what the detainees think about it. I can assume they don’t like it but with our only means of communication through the media you don’t really hear much.
P: What is your opinion or view on the current issue?
L: So bad. I understand that it is also an international issue and it stems from international policies but I think that Australia is very far behind than other countries, it’s a mix of racism and liberal. Firstly we don’t take enough refugees in and the stop the boats policy doesn’t work. The whole idea of stopping boats coming to Australia isn’t true and theres no excuse for detention centres.
P: What do you think Australia should do to move forward?
L: System changes. You could look at other ways of processing people instead of throwing them in detention. To move forward we also need to fix the cultural problem in terms of racism and the liberal government who seems to panda to the issue. Changes to the system, changes to the culture.
P: Is this a topic you actively follow in any forms of media?
L: I never actively read about the issue, sometimes I see things on the news, however, that doesn’t always paint a clear picture. I’m interested but I’m not rallying or anything. I do feel apathetic towards the issue though.
P: If we were to allow a large quantity of refugees into the country do you think they would contribute in a positive manner, why?
L: I believe they would. One thing I do know is that theres a myth that they (refugees) will send money back to the country they came from which is bad for the economy. This is untrue because they spend their money on food and accommodation which is creating a healthy and economically viable cycle and if anything, they bring their families to Australia.
P: And finally, how do you think the media influences your perception of refugees and asylum seekers?
L: I think the media creates a debate out of something that should be debated. They don’t talk about the person or people specifically, rather they generalise the whole rase and focus on the negatives. ‘Stop the boats’ is a slogan that Australian’s have adapted to refuse those seeking asylum. It comes down to the media in link with power.
P: Thank you for your time and valuable feedback Lucas 🙂
For the probe interview and task I developed a series of similar questions as the informal interview, however, I wanted to focus on the emotional response connected to this issue. In doing this I found a deeper response being made. I began by asking the interviewee to write down their personal opinion and outlook in a notebook that I provided. Having a notebook felt as though this task allowed the audience member more of a personal interaction, giving feedback with no time limit or restrictions. Secondly, I asked the interviewee to write on a separate page words that come to mind when they think of refugees and asylum seekers. Following this, drawing. Drawing allows the freedom of expression without having to think of words to express which in some cases can be more revealing than singular words or terms. It was interesting to compare these drawings and especially analyse how each person communicates the issue. Lastly, I provided the interview member with a series of emotions and asked to highlight the way in which they felt after completing the small series of tasks. By listing, describing, drawing and interacting with images the interviewee delved deeper into the topic, rather than by asking a series of straightforward questions as done previously.
Five Point Summary of Findings:
- In-depth emotional response
- Outlining major concerns
- Clarifying the problem
- Observing how individuals response differ and how they communicate differently or in some cases, similarly
- Framing constructive discussion around asylum seekers & refugees
Emergent Practices 
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