In Stephen King’s It, every few years the monster living under the town wakes up and feeds on whatever fear is available, taking the form people are already primed to recognise, while everyone reacts as though they’re seeing it for the first time. The horror isn’t just Pennywise the shape-shifting clown; it’s how everyone keeps forgetting about him.
Migration panic is Australia’s Pennywise. The monster’s appearance changes because fear needs fresh makeup, but the ritual of invocation doesn’t.