Australian politicians love talking about “smashing” the people smuggler business model. It is strange then that very few of us know how the business really works.

In Indonesia, after meeting those in the camps, we attempted to learn about the way people smugglers operate and how it is the supply of boats hasn’t stopped. We spoke to about 50 people, many of whom were potential passengers. We have not named them for their protection, but this is what they told us.

First, very few people use the term “people smuggler”. The word used by Hazaras — the most prominent group of asylum seekers in Indonesia — is “qachaqbar” (pronounced gohchuckbar).