Go Back To Where You Came From
Series Two
SBS One
From Tuesday, August 28, at 8.30pm
Catherine Deveny wasn鈥檛 quite sure what she would be in for when she agreed to appear in the second series of SBS鈥檚 hit refugee reality TV show, Go Back To Where You Came From.
But it seems everyone on the show, which makes Australians re-trace the steps of asylum seekers fleeing war zones, was equally wary of her.
It was only when the left-wing author, comic and 麻豆传媒 fundraiser turned up for filming that she found out who her co-stars were.
Among the other participants were former Rose Tattoo singer Angry Anderson, who has ambitions to be a far-right politician; right-wing shock jock Michael Smith; and Deveny鈥檚 鈥渘emesis鈥, Peter Reith.
A Howard government minister from 1996 to 2001, Reith was an architect of the Pacific Solution, a policy which ensured asylum seekers were processed offshore.
麻豆传媒鈥檚 Mat Ward spoke to Deveny on August 22, a week before the show was due to go on air. You can download an mp3 of the interview .
Have you had a chance to see the completed series?
No!
So you鈥檙e going to be seeing it at the same time as everyone else?
Yes.
Oh. So鈥 how did the filming go?
Well, I didn鈥檛 know what to expect, because when you don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 expected of you, where you鈥檙e going, who you鈥檙e with, there鈥檚 all these little things. I鈥檓 not a helicopter parent [a parent who pays extremely close attention to their children's experiences] at all. But there were all these things like, what happens if one of my kids has to have their appendix out or breaks a bone or has a head injury? What would happen if the house burnt down? I mean, I鈥檓 not someone to incite panic, but when you鈥檙e away for three weeks, I mean, I could be contacted, but I didn鈥檛 have a mobile. So that was quite unsettling, particularly when you鈥檙e packing, you don鈥檛 know where you鈥檙e going, so I didn鈥檛 even know what I needed. The trip itself was amazing, I felt extremely thrilled and privileged to be able to go on it. I was just amazed and felt so lucky to have been given the opportunity. It was confronting and all that kind of stuff, but I鈥檓 the single mum of three children and I run a very busy household and my own business. So to go away for three weeks, just, basically, not having to worry about cooking dinners or arranging play dates or making sure the dog鈥檚 walked or the bins are out or that the kids aren鈥檛 setting themselves alight is a bit of a bludge, to be honest.
I鈥檓 guessing you were glued to your screen like most viewers when the first series aired?
Oh, god, yes. When you have an experience like that - and I had the same experience doing it - it鈥檚 simultaneously ecstatic and depressing. Because you鈥檙e going, this is so amazing - watching a television show like that or being involved with it - but also depressing because you鈥檙e going, how will I ever get this experience again? You know it鈥檚 going to be a long time before you get the opportunity to watch such a great show or be involved with such a great show again.
The first series went to Villawood detention centre, Malaysia and Iraq. The new series goes to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Christmas Island. Was it also different in format from the first series?
Look, it鈥檚 really hard to tell, I mean we did three weeks and it鈥檚 cut down to three hours. Because I haven鈥檛 seen the show I don鈥檛 know. My experience and the show are usually two very different things. [Deveny has appeared in many TV shows, from The 7.30 Report and Q&A to Rove and The Eric Bana Show Live.] So I can see a show and go, god, that just wasn鈥檛 how I felt, or I could go, that鈥檚 totally representative of my experience. But because I had so many people and issues and logistics to deal with I don鈥檛 know how it鈥檚 going to look or feel. TV鈥檚 not my medium at all, I don鈥檛 really like it. The only things I鈥檓 interested in doing is anything off-script and out of the studio, so this was perfect for me.
Was it hard to keep your sense of humour?
No. It鈥檚 never hard to keep my sense of humour. The thing is I only do one job and that is being me and everything comes along together, my passion, my ability to say what I think and my constant ability to take the piss - nothing gets turned on or turned off. I found it exhilarating.
Did you learn anything about yourself that surprised you?
Erm鈥 Yeah, I think that what really did surprise me was how happy I was. How safe I felt, being so far away and knowing that I鈥檇 raised independent children and that they had a great group of people around them looking after them. What I learnt about myself, too, is that, despite the image I may have to some people of being a bit of a loose cannon, I know that I鈥檓 not. I鈥檓 actually very stable. [In 2010, Deveny was sacked from her nine-year job as an Age columnist for tweeting remarks that her employer deemed offensive]. I鈥檓 very optimistic and very friendly. When I got on the show, everybody who knew that I was going to be involved said they were very worried that I was going to be, like, a bitch or kind of crazy or angry. And they were overwhelmed with how, just, friendly and helpful and optimistic I was to work with. And I suppose what I learnt about myself is that I just love being in that environment and that is not anything that I have to fake or put on, that鈥檚 my natural default setting.
Didn鈥檛 Peter Reith say you need your own personal detention centre built for you, though?
He said something like that. But, I mean, that鈥檚 just a boring, right-wing attempt at a joke.
People often assume activists are morose types with the weight of the world on their shoulders. But in my experience they鈥檙e generally a happy bunch, because they know they鈥檙e lucky just to have a roof over their heads and not live in a war zone. Do you think that鈥檚 why you were so positive about the experience, because you knew that you were not actually a refugee and it was all going to be over in three weeks?
No, not at all. I鈥檓 very positive and I鈥檓 very enthusiastic and optimistic in whatever circumstances. I mean, I鈥檝e had cancer, I鈥檝e gone through a relationship breakdown, I鈥檝e gone through depression, I鈥檝e gone through heartbreak, I鈥檝e gone through a spinal injury and I鈥檝e had that same setting. Nothing shocked or really surprised me, it just deepened my understanding. I鈥檓 very aware of where I sit in the world - my privilege, but also my oppression. We鈥檙e all privileged or we鈥檙e all oppressed in certain ways if we鈥檙e living in the First World.
Having gone through this whole experience, how did you feel about parliament passing legislation last week to reinstate offshore processing? Do you think the fact that you鈥檇 done the show made you react any differently?
I was thrilled, because my real loyalty lies with the asylum seekers and the people who made this television, Cordell Jigsaw, and I was so thrilled for them because it鈥檚 going to be so relevant. So it鈥檚 going to be really successful for all these people who have worked incredibly hard on it. So it鈥檚 going to be very poignant and it鈥檚 hopefully going to save a lot of lives of people who are not even born yet because of the issues that we raised and the way that we raised them.
How out of touch do you think politicians are on this issue?
So sheltered, so out of touch, so in denial. They have no idea about what鈥檚 going on, but they also have no idea about what the voters think.
Do you think the main problem is that we just don鈥檛 have accountable democracy? Governments get voted in every few years and then do whatever the hell they like. Do you think things would improve if our democratic system was reformed so that politicians were held accountable for each bill that they voted on?
I have never even thought about that - I suppose because accountable democracy is not something I鈥檝e ever experienced. To be honest, the government is a shambles, but we鈥檙e still living a pretty nice life in Australia. So I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 touched us keenly and deeply enough. I just think it鈥檚 extremely shameful form for these political parties to be availing the demonisation of the asylum seekers in concert, it鈥檚 absolutely shameful. It just shows a lack of courage, a lack of maturity, a lack of vision and a lack of empathy with the vision of Australia that Australians actually have and want.
Go Back To Where You Came From . Catherine Deveny鈥檚 seventh book, her first novel, is coming out in November.
Video: Go Back To Where You Came From Series 2 Trailer. .