Episodes

Welcome home. With a Labor victory at the 2022 federal election, we join the family as they return home to Biloela. It’s a teary, frantic, and joyous reunion for them, but what does this mean for other families like the Nadeslinagams? Is Labor’s election win the victory that people think it is?

In this episode we explore what our government is still doing to not have to accept asylum seekers into our country, what made this family and this campaign so special, as well as what’s next for the family.

Everything is riding on the 2022 federal election. The LNP have held firm that the Nadesalingams would not be returning to Biloela, and no special visa would be granted to them, but the Labor Party has made an election promise to return them to Biloela if they are elected. How did this one family become an election talking point in 2022? 

We find out if four years of campaigning to bring this family back to Biloela is actually changing the way people vote. And we join the campaign team as they make a final push to get people to preference Labor over LNP for this one family.

Another deportation attempt is made, but this time, more people are following their story. Supporters drop what they are doing and dash to the airport to help. Campaigners jump the fence and get arrested. Nevertheless, the family are separated and forced onto a plane. But an urgent injunction is granted mid-flight, and forces the plane to land in Darwin. Rather than fly them back to Melbourne detention, the Nadesalingams are flown to a detention centre on a remote offshore territory of Australia, a detention centre that has not been in use for over 4 years.

The government spent $27 million dollars in 2019 reopening this facility to detain four people. It is in this facility that both Priya and Tharnicaa faced significant health issues. So with the amount of money going into these detention centres, why are conditions so poor? And why is nothing happening to fix it?

Early one Monday morning, having spent three and a half years building their life in Biloela, the Nadesalingams are forcibly removed from their homes, thrown into white vans, and flown to a detention centre in Melbourne. The family are told they can’t get access to a phone unless they sign documents saying they would leave the country. What do they do?

Why was their visa application unsuccessful? What information is the government using to assess them? And what else can they do to not be sent back to danger? Meanwhile, the Biloela community are left shocked by the sudden disappearance of the Nadesalingams and start organising.

It was conventional British colonial policy to look for minorities in colonised territories to use them where possible as the administrative class. Minorities, like the Tamils in Sri Lanka, tended to be more amenable to be used in this fashion because at times this strengthened their position in society. Following Sri Lanka’s independence from the British, the majority Sinhalese ethnic group take power. Racial tensions escalate, erupting in a war in 1983, with government sanctioned troops killing thousands of Tamil civilians as they attempt to suppress the Tamil Tiger movement. Priya and Nades are caught in the middle of it. 

But what role does Australia play in this civil war? And Australia says things are better since the war ended in 2009, but what is it actually like for the people living there?

Nades says he couldn’t sleep when he arrived on Christmas Island. The beds felt like they were moving just like the boat he arrived on. Priya started to feel scared as other asylum seekers around her were being removed by SERCO guards with their belongings in black garbage bags in the dead of night. 

Nades, Priya, and their two Australian-born daughters, Kopika and Tharnicaa, commonly referred to as the ‘Biloela family’, became the faces of the rural Aussie community of Biloela, but how did they actually end up there? In this episode, we follow their arduous journey to build their life in Australia, what they call a “happy time”, whilst they jump through the bureaucratic hurdles of applying for different visas to not be sent back to danger, knowing that they could be deported the moment one of them expires. Pressure builds as one by one, other asylum seekers around them are deported. What will this mean for them?

The Nadesalingam family captured the hearts and minds of people across the world when they were ripped from their regional Australian community of Biloela, but there’s more to this than a heartwarming story. This series will explore the social fabric of Sri Lanka forcing Tamils to flee, the geopolitical and national forces at play when it comes to Australia’s immigration policy, the groundswell movement from their local community and beyond, the treatment and processing of asylum seekers in Australia, along with the lies we’ve been told along the way. Who does the family need to be in order to stay?

Our trusted newsreaders have always been there, from when Lady Di passed away, to when the world was forever changed on 9/11. But who is telling you the biggest stories of the day? And why is it important that we see representation in TV news?

"Just get on with it" seems to be the mentality of a lot of refugee families, so we often don't get to hear their stories. In this episode, one daughter of refugee parents is determined (but a little scared) to share her parents' journey to Australia, and how they built a life here.

Derogatory or alienating racial comments and actions are something most people of colour have experienced in Australia. From "ni hao baby" to being glared at for slurping your pearl milk tea, it's often quite paralysing, and it's hard to know what to do in those situations. So why are these forms of harassment harmful? What does it say about Australian identity? And what can we do about it?

Are your parents awkward with hugs? Do you find yourself more comfortable greeting people at a distance, rather than a kiss on the cheek? It's fairly common for a lot of Asian parents to not express their affections physically. Why is this the case? What does it mean for us who grew up in a culture that is more physically affectionate? And what can we learn from each other?

Do you remember the books you had to read in school? Did you find yourself constantly having to put yourself in shoes far outside of your experience? Author Rebecca Lim remembers this all too well, and hoped things had changed since her daughter started school. Discovering the literature was much the same, she set out to write what she wished she had as a child.

Asian men as a group have it kind of rough when it comes to sex and relationships. They're often less desired than most other racial groups, and have been associated with a lot of emasculating stereotypes. How did we get here? How does it affect them? And how are things changing?

The fetishisation of Asian females is a concept I think we're all at least aware of. But why is it even a thing? Where have these stereotypes of East Asian women come from? How do they affect East Asian women? And how can we move forward?

Yepp, we're back. It's been another big year, and there's no shortage of exciting things to talk about, so let's get into it.

Caste discrimination is one of those things that you can only understand if you have lived it. Many South Asians have been on the receiving end of caste discrimination, but similarly, many South Asians in Australia have perpetuated oppressive caste dynamics without even knowing it. In this episode, we explore what Caste is, and the complexities of how it operates in the diaspora through the eyes of a hereditary Bharatanatyam dancer.

Some of our best comedians of colour often use their race as part of their jokes, and stand up comedy has this unique ability to talk about race in a way that’s less confronting than other methods. How does comedy do this? When can this be perhaps unhelpful? And what is the experience of Asian Australian comedians in the scene?

A lot of us who grew up here probably didn’t learn our mother tongue properly, and maybe we regret it as an adult. Well today I’m bringing you the story of one person’s journey of learning Chinese again without being forced to by his parents.

It’s often talked about how mixed race people are the race of the future. The numbers of mixed race people are growing as our world becomes more globalised, and today I want to explore how their experience can be quite different because they’re mixed race. So what influences how they encounter race? And how does our views of them impact their identity and experience?

When we think of what good Asian food is, quite a specific image comes to mind. Perhaps a place that is poorly decorated, or where the wait staff just want you to order and get out, or a place with 100 (or more) items on the menu. Or maybe it’s a hole in the wall joint that’s a bit “dirty” but oh, so good. And when it comes to fancier Asian restaurants? Well, apart from Japanese food, we often think, man, I could get that cheaper from elsewhere. Where has this perception of “cheap” Asian food come from? And what will it take for us to change this?

Food is so much a part of our lives, and even more so for many Asians. Some are the biggest foodies out there, and although a love for food isn’t uniquely Asian, there are definitely elements of the culture around food, and the way some Asians eat that are pretty unique. This episode is not a cooking show, rather, we explore what is different in the way Chinese cultures, in particular, eat.

What does Australia look like without international students? What was once a hypothetical question is now the reality as Australia’s travel ban extends indefinitely due to COVID-19. But beyond statistics and numbers, what does it look like to this significant cohort of people and what does it say about us when the government specifically excludes them from welfare support in the middle of a global crisis? Extending beyond our previous episode, this episode seeks to explore the history of Australia’s reliance on international education, specifically from our Asian neighbours (the largest cohort being from China), the COVID-19 international student experiences, and what the post-pandemic world will hold for Australia’s not-so-secret cash cow.

Crazy Rich Asians. This 2018 blockbuster is, in the words of director Jon M Chu, “not a movie. It’s a movement.” So many of us diasporic Asians flocked to cinemas to watch this film. But why was it so important? Why does representation matter, and what is the state of representation on our screens here in Australia?

2020 has been an…interesting year. Race has been at the forefront of a lot of news, discussion, and our own lives. And as Asian Australians there’s never been a better time to learn more about how race, and culture influences our experiences. And hey, Shoes Off season 3 has got your back.

This week's show is from LEMON with a discussion about Mulan 2020 and COVID social bubbles.

LEMON delivers the latest juice of celebrity & pop culture news, candid conversations with celebrities and influencers, as well as social and cultural topics from an Asian perspective. Hosted by Phillip Kuoch and Thomas Tan.

This week I’m bringing you an episode from another podcast, Rock the Boat. In this episode, host Lucia Liu sits down with screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians, Adele Lim, for a hilarious conversation uncovering Adele’s experience working on Crazy Rich Asians, the difference between working in television and feature film, her parents' reaction to her pursuing a career in writing, and then her parents' reaction after watching Crazy Rich Asians. During the conversation, Adele also opens up about her decision to go public about leaving the sequel for crazy rich Asians due to a significant pay discrepancy.

Rock the Boat (www.gorocktheboat.com) is a podcast featuring Asians who challenge the status quo hosted by Lucia Liu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucialiu1/). Guests include Andrew Yang, Michelle Phan, The Fung Bros, and more. Follow Rock the Boat on instagram @rocktheboatnyc and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this next in-between-isode, we reflect on how COVID-19 and BLM has impacted how we talk about racism and representation whilst we reflect on our favourite episodes of season 2. Plus, we talk about what's coming up for the next season.

For this in-between-isode, we swap roles and I get interviewed about how the show started, what the process for making episodes is, and we look back at some of our favourite eps from Season 1. It’s less formal and it’s not scripted (for a change!)

Diversity and Inclusion - it seems to be a hot topic in many workplaces, and rightly so. Australia is a very diverse country and we’re seeing more higher educated people of colour joining the professional workforce. So what exactly is it, and why is it important?

When we think about Asians in Australian history, we might think miners, indentured labourers, perhaps furniture makers. But doctors? Well there's an interesting history here too, and in this episode, we'll take a look at the story of a few of them, and what their legacy is.