While to world waits to see whether Donald Trump will ever get his chance to build that wall,?? ??? ?? it could be said that Australia's already constructed one, albeit invisibly.
Canadian journalist and author Naomi Klein told Australian panel program Q&AMonday, that the country's immigration policies have an uncomfortable similarity to those proposed by Trump.
SEE ALSO: Outrage as government says Australia closed for life to boat asylum seekersHer comments come after the Australian government recently announced a plan to ban all refugees who would come to its shores by boat. Government ads designed to deter people from entering the country this way have hit Facebook locally, too.
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In Klein's view, there's more than a little in common between the "craziness" of Trump and Australia's policies.
"One of the reasons why I can't wait to be rid of Trump, if this does happen, is he's lowered the bar so much that anything can seem sane in comparison. We can all feel terrifically smug because we're not that crazy," she said.
"I think that Donald Trump talking about building the wall with Mexico is insane and racist, but I also think what Australia is doing on Nauru and Manus is as well.
"I think we shouldn't be so self-satisfied about it. You're actually doingit, he's just talking about it," she said.
#qanda @NaomiAKlein is spot on. Trump just talks about building a wall, Australia has already built a metaphorical one via Manus & Nauru
— Jane Caro (@JaneCaro) November 7, 2016
When a young audience member asked Klein to explain the difference between Australia's border protection policies and Trump's plan to build a wall, she responded with an appeal to reason.
"We can't send a message to the people smugglers. What about the message you're sending to refugees around the world?
"The implication that the only way they die is at sea? They die in war zones. That's why we [should] welcome refugees."
Naomi Klein offered this answer before: the difference between offshore refugee camps & Trump's wall is that our atrocities are real #qanda
— Holly Creenaune (@hollycreenaune) November 7, 2016
Good on Naomi Klein for criticising so bluntly what we are doing on Nauru and Manus #qanda
— Julian Burnside (@JulianBurnside) November 7, 2016