The federal government will be investing $ 4.1 million on a TV drama which is set to broadcast overseas as a way of deterring asylum seekers from entering Australian shores by boat . ABC program Lateline revealed the telemovie will be shown in countries such as Syria , Iraq and Afghanistan later in the year , urging asylum seekers not to trust people smugglers . The drama , commissioned by the Customs and Border Security Agency , will reportedly have a story-line which involves the Australian Navy and asylum seekers drowning at sea . The federal government will be investing $ 4.1 million on a TV drama which is set to broadcast overseas as a way of deterring asylum seekers from entering Australian shores by boat . The telemovie will be shown in countries such as Syria , Iraq and Afghanistan later in the year , urging asylum seekers not to trust people smugglers . An Immigration Department spokesperson would not clarify whether the government will fully fund the drama . However the spokesperson told Lateline that 'television soap operas and telemovies are proven media to reach the target audience when seeking to deliver complex messages ' . 'Each broadcast will be accompanied by a major awareness campaign across television and social media , ' the spokesperson said . Producing the show will be Sydney company Put It Out There Pictures . This comes as Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that only the Coalition would be able to stop asylum seeker boats . Despite the multi-million dollar funding , Phil Glendenning - president of Refugee Council of Australia - told Lateline that he has doubts the show will discourage people from countries like Afghanistan and Syria . ' A TV show is n't going to stop people who are running from the Taliban , ' he said . Mr Glendenning says the government should instead use the funds to help the United Nations High Commission for Refugees give asylum seekers better security . This comes as Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that only the Coalition would be able to stop asylum seeker boats , the Guardian reports . ' I 'm also confident that only this government can keep them stopped because any other government , I suspect , would quickly succumb to the cries of the human rights lawyers and others and what that would mean , very quickly , is that the people smugglers would be back in business , ' he said on Thursday .
The Australian government will make a multi-million dollar telemovie . It has been commissioned by the Customs and Border Security Agency . The drama is set to be shown in Syria , Iraq and Afghanistan . It will be produced by Sydney-based company Put It Out There Pictures . ABC program Lateline reports the story-line will be of the Australian Navy and asylum seekers drowning at sea . I have no idea what this means for Australia or our border protection policy