paulry

The Government deserves full credit for a job well done - Something the tow rags who came before them lacked the will and competence to do.

knockoff nige

'Job well done'. All three words are wrong. They've shown their contempt for asylum seekers by now removing the free legal aid. They are now not attacking the 'illegal boat arrivals' only, but any asylum seekers. Seeking asylum is legal. Why offer asylum if it's not possible for those poorly educated or non english speaking.

I think they actually do believe it's a war. You can defend these guys and give them a pat on the back, but you've told us that your main concern is your tax money, not human life.

paulry

Show me where I said that.

Beoz

I think I did ..... somewhere ..... Knockoff gets a little confused now and again.

roaringmouse

All this "stop the boats" and turning people around has its roots in a lie that John Howard made in 2001. Since then both main sides of politics have been in a race to the bottom to stop the boats, as if refugees are some kind of threat (I've linked to stats in a thread before indicating the vast majority of asylum seekers to Australia are genuine).

Seeking asylum is not illegal, including when people arrive by boat. It would be quite possible to view refugees as an opportunity to help rebuild their lives at the same time they help to improve Australia (some of these refugees have skills, that with some extra training could be very useful to Australia).

Beoz

I don't think seeking asylum has ever been the problem. The problem is the manner in which those who do intend on taking a boat leave where they are and arrive where they do. After all, the cost of taking a people smuggler boat is what .... $30000? So there's the dodgy and illegal nature of this activity for starters.

Then there's the danger of potential death at sea, and if you turn up in North Western Australia, its desert. So there's the safety aspect.

In addition there's the control point of view. There's no control jumping borders. Come through an immigration desk there's plenty of control, appropriate channels can be followed, happy days.

Its not unlike UK border control. 5 Iraq's in the back of a lorry, the CO2 tester goes in, there they are, under a bunch of tyres. A simpler process is to turn up and tell a border official "I'd like to seek asylum"

roaringmouse

If only it was as simple as that.

Beoz

More simple than trekking through 10 countries, paying a people smuggler, trekking across an ocean, then a desert. OK put it this way, would you want asylum seekers to follow the path I just mentioned? No of course not. So perhaps the govt needs to look at different ways genuine asylum seekers, can go somewhere and have their case reviewed, if air travel is not an option.

knockoff nige

You do seem to morph into the same poster sometimes. Ah well, not bothered if you're not.

knockoff nige

You've already been told. Many of these asylum seekers can't get access to a passport and so can't get on a plane. Trekking through 10 other countries sounds like torture. But why can they not seek out the same rights that you have? Oh right, they weren't chosen.

paulry

Many of them flew to Jakarta and then threw away their passports and paid people smugglers huge sums to be put into leaky boats which resulted in the deaths of many of them. So that's alright then? Which parts of that do you support?

knockoff nige

For **** sake. I support genuine asylum seekers who need protection. This government doesn't and neither do you. That's the sad reality of it.

Beoz

Bollocks. The government does protect those in need of protection. It takes time and process to weed out the non genuine contendors.

knockoff nige

Time and process to turn them back? Does that mean you believe all boat people are not genuine asylum seekers?

Beoz

Yes. I believe that some are economic migrants. Which is why after processing, many get sent back. Not just in Australia, but in many other western countries. In your words, you would be naive to think otherwise.