Reporting child abuse in detention centres may now land someone in jail for two years.

Yesterday the Border Force Act 2015 came into effect, effectively making it illegal for people working in Australian-run detention centres like doctors, nurses, teachers and childcare workers from speaking out about the horrific conditions asylum seekers are held in. The new laws are already being challenged by more than 40 such workers, who yesterday released an open letter vowing to keep speaking out and daring the government to prosecute them.

But the fact remains that the law exists, and passed with the blessings of both major parties, raising serious concerns as to the potential implications for detainees and the people who care for them. On The Project last night, Waleed Aly took aim at the Act and the politicians defending it.