SBS has sent former senator Jacqui Lambie to the frontline of the Syrian war as part of a live TV event to begin on Tuesday.
Go Back To Where You Came From Live sees a group of Australians with a range of views on immigration get a first-hand experience of the global refugee crisis from different locations, including the battleground of Syria.
The show pairs Ms Lambie, 47, with 28-year-old Sydney immigration lawyer Marina, who came to Australia as a refugee of the Bosnian War.
Towards the end of last week, they travelled to the frontlines in the Deir Ez Zor region where IS is putting up a last stand.
They were hosted by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters - and visited an operating base near the town of Haijn, in Kurdish-held Syria.
Sydney immigration lawyer Marina, centre, with Ms Lambie, right, in Syria. Source: SBS
In footage released on Monday, the pair can be seen walking as gunshots are heard in the background. They also see two dead bodies of IS soldiers
"It's pretty ghastly," Ms Lambie says of the scene.
"If these guys had got out and fleed and not stayed behind to fight this war, ISIS would have taken over."
“It makes me want to pick up a weapon and go and help them.”
Ms Lambie served as a Tasmanian senator from 2014–2017. She has been highly critical of Islam and campaigned to ban the burqa in Australia.
Speaking about whether Australia could do more to help refugees last month, Ms Lambie told SBS News: "Do we need to bring their problems here?"
She said: "Are we bringing in the right people for our grandchildren and their grandchildren? … Are they compatible with our society? Will they blend in?"
The Syrian war has left more than 364,792 people dead since March 2011, nearly a third of them civilians, according to figures released by the Syrian Observatory last month.
The conflict has produced more than 5.6 million Syrian refugees and 6.1 million internally displaced people, according to the United Nations.
Marshall Heald, SBS Director of Television and Online Content, said in a statement: “Go Back to Where You Came From Live is one of the most ambitious television events in Australian broadcasting history. By taking audiences to the frontlines of this crisis in real time, the latest instalment of SBS’s award-winning series will capture a snapshot of the issue as it develops with a sense of urgency befitting the subject.
“Opinions will be challenged as we witness stories of adversity, resilience and an optimism for a new life from refugees and asylum seekers at home and abroad. Putting this human face on a seemingly unsurmountable problem and encouraging a national conversation is what SBS does best.”
Go Back To Where You Came From Live airs over three nights from 2–4 October, 8.30pm, on SBS and SBS On Demand.
