Government Policy and Race-Crime Tropes: A Rural Australian Case Study

State border closures enacted in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic reinvigorated colonial boundaries, with significant impacts for communities residing near the border. For some, border controls were interpreted as emblematic of entrenched racial divisions in rural communities drawn on a deep history of racial segregation. This article contributes to literature examining how government interventions – particularly those implemented in response to COVID-19 – impact “race” relations and community solidarity. It expands upon existing literature that highlights how the racialisation of colonial structures (e.g., colonially imposed borders) embeds Indigenous disenfranchisement, creating reiterative and disruptive ripples through modern policy decisions. Thus, though we acknowledge that race is socially constructed, racial categories continue to produce tangible, lived consequences – dynamics this article examines. Focusing on the residents of “Smithville”, ¹