ABCDiamond

If only they were all like that.

Attitudes may then be very different to the entire situation.

The actual truth is that there are many who, even after years here, still rely on Centrelink and interpreters for eveything. There should be more publicity on the ones that do try, to try to offset against those who just think that Australia is an easy ride.

mohogony

One thing l could'nt understand about the boat people from the middle east, they get on a plane and fly to Malaysia or indonesia then pay the people smugglers to take them to OZ, then once in OZ they say they are refuguees because the government of their country wants to lock them up or kill them.
If their government wants to capture them then why are they not arrested at the airport when they show their passport to buy the ticket to indonesia, why are they free to hop on a plane and leave their country?

IvanM

Arriving on a holiday visa to claim assylum gives the claimant the right to await their decision on shore in better facilities. Is a visa claimed under false pretences better than no visa?

That people are willing to risk lives and their life's savings and possibility of being in possession of loan sharks indicates the desperation of refugees and assylum seekers.

Amazulu

Not so. There are loads of Africans at this school including my son who is partly African. The head of the prep school and my son's teacher are also African.

Zambia

Well yes if a Visa is found to be issued under a lie that is grounds for sending someone back as they lied on the initial application. That in itself tells you something about the person.

Think of all the people on this forum in High Risk countries that worked damn hard to get Qualified , get experience undergo the skills assessment , wait longer than most of us for a actual visa. Pay the visa processing Fee.

The boat people decided to skip all that pay a criminal for passage to Australia. Once landing simply dumping themselves on the Australian navy and DIAC paying nothing to them, cliaming I am your problem now and if you send me back your all w**kers

fish.01

I don't think people applying from the comfort and safety of their lounge suite and people fleeing from a place they are being persecuted can be directly compared. I believe it is usually a lot more complicated than that.

As approx 90% usually get approved after a long investigation that checks whether they were at significant risk of persecution, injury or death in their homeland it suggests that true asylum seekers do exist and chose the only way they could organise to flee their country to one of the great democracies that signed up to say they would accept them....and thankfully usually does (albeit a tiny number) despite all the hysteria.

To make it fair we could offer all applicants from all countries the choice of getting in to Australia quicker if they pay $20,000 and undertake a perilous, desperate journey across the ocean with their family at significant risk of injury or death, then years of detention and then a low grade visa at the end and see if they take it....just so things are fair and everyone has it as "easy" as the boat people.

Of course not every boat person is genuine but the facts show that most are so we should approach it with balance and compassion.

IvanM

I think of those who are unfortunate enought to grow up in war zones and abject poverty so severe that they are willing to sacrifice everything they have to secure a better lives for themselves and their family. It is no suprise that people from warzones are on these boats.

Of course there are those who abuse the system but it is setup to allow those forced out by war and atrocious regimes a way out. Your last line says more about you.

Zambia

Who are these atrocious regimes. The goverment of Afghanistan the one UK and Aussie forces are keeping in power? The goverment of Sri Lanka the one there is no current embargo by Australia?

Fact is your taking the Moral High ground with me by supporting a unworkable solution going forward. We in the west in general cant just keep accepting people because their countries are crap.

The whole western architecture is about order and accountability. To accept people on mass without proper channels just because they have unfortunate circumstances is like a worldwide version of the dole.

If I arrived at your door in the morning saying "I am in trouble I need to live in your house because mines crap" How long would I stay for before you called the cops and had my ass dragged out? You are advocating the acceptance because you dont feel the effects directly. While I respect the spirt of your opinion I believe it to be flawed.

IvanM

So Afghanistan is a peaceful nation and Sri Lanka has not just emerged from a bloody civil war where Tamils in the NE are kept in prison camp like locations.

I commend people for trying to break out of those hell holes for their family. No moral high ground just an understanding of what is motivating these people. They are not moving into my house however my door is always open for a friend in need.

Australia, the US and UK have always taken on people from war zones whether it was the great Wars in Europe, Vietnam, the Balkans or the Middle East. A significant proportion of Australia's population has origins fleeing from conflict to set up a better life. What marks out western nations is the institutions to create order from the disorder. The institutions and associated mechanisms are not perfect and the dishonest will get through but I challenge anyone to create a perfect system.

Zambia

You missed the point we have troops in Afghanistan supporting the goverment there, why are we supporting a goverment with one hand and taking people from Afghanistan with the other because their goverment cant protect them.

Plus the Tamil Tigers where regarded as a hostile force trying to overthrow the goverment of Sri Lanka. If we tried to overthrow a goverment a prison is where we would end up. I believe the goverment there is still trying to identify them in the camps, granted they should be done by now.

You already stated you would not let them live in your house but the door would be open. Big lad they are not crossing the ocean for a few weeks on the gold coast they want to stay

In essence there are Milllons of people in the world in a pretty bad way. If you gave them the choice of living in a western country or where they are they would choose the west. Now if we accept everyone or even most people who manage to make it to the shores of a western country. The numbers will increase till we cannot actually cope at all.

the troubadour

Actually my understanding of the troubles in Sri Lanka was not that the Tamils so much wanted to over throw the Colombo Government..but wanted their own state,Tamil Eelam and run their own affairs.
With regards to Afghanistan it is the Hazzaras whom are the tribal group that face persecution in that country and that being the case qualify under present laws for asylum.
Not much can be done within the law apart from a reinterperetation of present United Nations rules on what and who is a refugee.
It is a world problem and as such all nations signatory to the agreement need to come together to discuss this problem with the thought of changes.

IvanM

Those fleeing are normally the victims of the conflict rather than those causing the conflict. Much of Afghanistan is out of NATO control and those parts in NATO control are still in conflict. Many of the local rulers are warlords who switch to the side of greatest convenience and care little for their people. The Sri Lanka conflict is still a conflict with the full horrors of war whether or not we agree with the actions of the participants. Would you want to bring your family up in the misery of war?

I do not need to open my door to my house because I live in a civilised society that provides the very basic necessities of life to the homeless. My door is open to my friends who I care for. Nothing big as you point out. I just do not condemn those who seek to remove their family from conflict.

Zambia

If everyone who lives under those conditions had the means to travel to Australia should Australia accept them all?

bcworld

I think you already know that no one is suggesting that the answer to that should be yes.

don544

These people have travelled through safe countries, they have destroyed their identity documents, they have blown up one boat, and drilled holes in the hull of another. They get caught in indonesian waters but phone australia for help! They use their children to try and get sympathy, when that fails they make threats of hunger strikes, and refuse to leave their boat. They refuse to help police investigating the explosion. Are these really the kind of people we should be helping?
Don't think so

And to all do gooders who keep harping on that Australia was founded by 'Boat people' and Crim's, get a life FFS