The reinvigorated use of deceptive language, coupled with the trappings of military defence, was successful: an increasing number of people thought it was a good thing to "prevent dangerous criminals getting to Australia". And if that was the fact, they were right. But it was all a lie: boat people are not criminals; they do not commit an offence by coming here the way they do; they are not a risk to us. So the bottom line is that we have been persuaded to spend about $5 billion a year mistreating innocent people.

It is no novelty that politicians lie to us, so Morrison calling boat people "illegal" was false, but not unprecedented. And the flourish of "border protection" was a deft way of finessing the deception. So far, standard Australian politics. But the 2013 federal election took us somewhere new: both major parties tried to attract political support by promising cruelty to boat people. It is easy to imagine that if they had promised cruelty to animals, it would not have worked so well.

And it was Morrison who delivered on the promise of cruelty. This sat oddly with his avowed religious views, and his maiden speech in Parliament, delivered on February 14, 2008.

Among other things, he said: "I turn now to the most significant influences on my life – my family and my faith. Family is the stuff of life and there is nothing more precious ... For me, faith is personal, but the implications are social – as personal and social responsibility are at the heart of the Christian message ..."

He drew on the example of William Wilberforce (the great English anti-slavery campaigner). He quoted Desmond Tutu as saying: "we expect Christians ... to be those who stand up for the truth, to stand up for justice, to stand on the side of the poor and the hungry, the homeless and the naked" and was inspired to add: "These are my principles."