Last week Amnesty International’s Faces of Asylum exhibition was banned by the Bridgeton Greenbushes council in WA from being displayed in the local library.

Since the controversial banning much has been written about the local council’s decision.

There were cries of censorship as Bridgetown shire CEO Elizabeth Denniss deemed the exhibition 'too political' to be shown and risked offending residents.

A passionate public outcry ensued with many residents angered by what they labelled an act of censorship. Numerous letters to the editor called for the council to allow individuals the right to decide for themselves if they wanted to ignore or explore the exhibition.

However, Bridgetown’s local residents were just as angered by what one women labelled the "maligning of the townsfolk by branding them intolerant", than the actual act of the censorship itself.

Out of the furore of the censorship a much more poignant and powerful message has emerged - Australian’s are thirsty for information on the issue of refugees and asylum seekers and are seeking an open dialogue where they can develop and voice their own views, independent of any government or council.

The Faces of Asylum exhibition is aimed purely at this; showing the human faces of the people who seek asylum on our shores and then giving Australians the opportunity to make up their own minds on the issue.

Given the recent inflammatory comments from Coalition MP Theresa Gambaro and a recently axed Darwin SERCO officer - both of which publicly reinforced damaging and dangerous stereotypes surrounding hygiene, “queue jumping”, religion and violence - now more than ever all Australians must have access to the whole story.

And in the heat of the intense political debate over asylum seeker policy, it is easy to forget that asylum seekers have very little control over the circumstances and political climates which caused them to seek asylum in the first place.

In the words of Faces of Asylum participants Farida and Hussain Dad: "If there was no reason for us to come here, we would not - I came because I had no other choice."