Twenty five years on, SIEV X still speaks to the Australia we are becoming

In Summary

On 19 October 2001, the SIEV X fishing vessel sank south of Indonesia, killing 353 asylum seekers including 146 children; 45 survived.
In Canberra, 353 poles at the SIEV X memorial beside Lake Burley Griffin permanently honour each life lost.
The memorial was built through a national community effort and continues to prompt reflection as Australia debates migration and multiculturalism.
Australia should manage migration impacts such as housing, jobs and social cohesion while also expecting newcomers to respect laws and contribute.
Cultural diversity can be valued without demanding cultural uniformity; remembering SIEV X highlights that the victims were people, not just numbers.

Photo: Canberra’s SIEV X memorial marks the 353 lives lost. Source: SBS News

Twenty five years ago, on 19 October 2001, a small fishing vessel carrying around 400 asylum seekers towards Australia sank in waters south of Indonesia.

Known as SIEV X, the tragedy claimed 353 lives, including 146 children, 142 women and 65 men. Only 45 survived.

In Canberra, 353 poles beside Lake Burley Griffin continue to tell their story. Each pole represents a person who died.

The Memorial grew from a national community project involving schools, churches and community organisations. More than 300 decorated poles were created, forming a permanent place of remembrance in Australia’s national capital.

I have been a general member of the SIEVX community in Canberra for some time. My involvement has been modest, but I believe the Memorial remains an important place to remember.

The 25th anniversary comes at a significant time for Australia. We are again debating migration, multiculturalism and what it means to be Australian.

There is increasing discussion about whether Australia should become more monocultural.

We should be able to debate migration numbers and their impacts.

Australians are entitled to expect governments to consider housing, infrastructure, employment, public services and social cohesion.

People who come here also have responsibilities to respect Australian laws and contribute to the community.

But good migration management does not require cultural uniformity.

Australia has an ancient and continuing First Nations history. Modern Australia has also been shaped by generations of migration.

People from around the world have brought languages, cultures, faiths and traditions, contributing to our social, economic and civic life.

I am one of them. Born in Bangladesh, I came to Australia in 1992 after studying in Malaysia and Canada.

I built my career here, raised my family here and spent more than 30 years in the Australian Public Service.

I was later honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to Canberra’s multicultural community.

Australia gave me the opportunity to build a life here, and I have tried to repay that opportunity through work and community service.

The latest Lowy Institute Poll provides useful context. In 2026, 73% of Australians said Australia’s culturally diverse population was entirely or mostly positive for Australia, down from 90% in 2024.

At the same time, 55% said the overall number of migrants coming to Australia was too high, the highest result recorded in Lowy’s polling.

Australians can therefore value cultural diversity while also wanting migration levels and their impacts to be managed carefully.

This is where SIEV X still matters.

The 353 people who died were not simply numbers in a border protection debate.

They were individuals and families seeking a safer future. Among them were 146 children who had no say in the decisions that brought their families towards Australia.

Remembering them does not require agreement on every aspect of asylum seeker policy. It requires us to remember the human beings behind the policy debate.

Twenty five years ago, 353 people lost their lives while seeking a safer future. We cannot change what happened. But we can decide what we learn from it.

Australia could have done better. We can do better now, and we should do better in the future.

That does not mean abandoning secure borders or a properly managed migration system. It means ensuring that our policies and public debate never lose sight of human dignity.

We should not sweep the story of SIEV X under the carpet. We should remember those 353 people and ensure their story is not reduced to a statistic.

We can face the hard truths, call a spade a spade, and make sure the lessons of SIEV X are not forgotten.

The 25th anniversary gathering will be held at the SIEV X Memorial at 2 pm on Saturday, 17 October 2026, marking 20 years since the first poles were raised in 2006.

The SIEVX Memorial Association ACT is seeking volunteers to help maintain the Memorial and keep its story alive.

For information, contact info@sievxmemorial.com.

The poles are still standing. The question is what we choose to learn from them.