Fierce ... Imogen Bailey, who starred in the SBS reality-doco Go Back To Where You Came From, has accused Tony Abbott of turning back the clocks, not the boats. Pic: Dylan Robinson Source: News Corp Australia

She and other famous faces, including rocker Angry Anderson, starred in the 2012 celebrity version of acclaimed SBS documentary reality series Go Back To Where You Came From.

Bailey says she was “profoundly changed” by her experience on the program, which took six celebrities to the frontline of the immigration emergency in war-torn Somalia and Afghanistan; and subsequently inspired her new role as an ambassador for advocacy group, ChilOut (Children Out Of Detention).

Go back ... famous Australians including Catherine Deveny, Peter Reith, Angry Anderson, Michael Smith, Imogen Bailey and Allan Asher in the 2012 series of Go Back To Where You Came From. Source: Supplied

With a new group of ordinary Australians to face the same issues in a special three-night season of the show (premiering Tuesday, 8.30pm), Bailey argues national understanding and empathy for “this crisis is worse than its ever been. There’s still this focus on turning back the boats and no talk about what we’re doing to protect these vulnerable people, especially children,” Bailey said.

Deeply changed ... appearing in the SBS series four years ago had a deep impact on Imogen Bailey. Picture: Dylan Robinson Source: News Corp Australia

In an attack on both the major political parties, she added: “if Mr Abbott, or (Federal immigration and border protection minister) Mr Dutton, or Mr Shorten’s children or grandchildren came knocking at my door in need of help, I’d step in front of a bus for them because that’s what you do as a responsible adult.”

Enlightened ... Angry Anderson says the Abbott Government’s ‘stop the boats’ policy “has been one step forward” but “doesn’t go to the source of the problem.” Picture: Alex Coppel Source: News Corp Australia

Anderson, a vocal conservative who has previously joined public rallies against the carbon tax and was preselected as a National Party member in 2011, said while the Abbott government’s ‘stop the boats’ policy “has been one step forward ... it’s more about sloganeering and doesn’t go to the source of the problem and address why people get on boats in the first place. ”

holly.byrnes@news.com.au

Twitter: @byrnesh