King Hazza

Good contribution.

You are right. I demand a better solution to the boat-people problem - and yet I have no idea what that could be. However. the point of the article is that if we are going to be cruel, then let us admit that we are and not pretend to ourselves that we are beyond reproach.

My problem is that I have a grandaughter aged 3.

146 like her struggling in the water and then dying has to affect me

Maybe if we stopped interfering in their countries they could sort out their own problems.

After economically, militarily and politically raping their countries for the last 90 years, overthrowing their own democractically elected governments and installing our own sponsored despots should we really be so surprised when they leave the resulting baby on our doorstep?

Unfortunately their problem has always been that our oil is under their land.

Under the Offshore Refugee and Humanitarian visas only 0.2% of European and Latin American applicants are granted protection.
Migration Officers at different Australian Embassies, e.i in Chile rather than understanding applicants' circumstances & situation are still using any excuses to deny protection to a professor and his family in spite of evidence provided. On the other hand, most boat people jump the queue and do not provide other evidence than "their word" however the government grant them protection. The immigration Department clearly states that applicants from Europe or Latin America (western countries) are last placed in their scale of priorities.

The 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol is a legally binding treaty. Unfortunately, the Australian government and Refugee organisations in Australia put first the international laws rather than Australia's future. Futhermore, they ignore their responsibility involving building a more cohesive Australian society.
In that respect, culture is essential. For example, can be put two people with very different cultural values and believes to live in a house and expect that they create a friendly and harmonious environment when one of then is not flexible of willing to accept and negotiate their differences?. We should look at Inglaterra and France, to understand what may be the future of Australia.
It is not about being racist or putting down other cultures. It is about Australians having the right to protect a society that with its current values and believes has demonstrated that is successful. Most visitors think of Australia as a great place to live and most of us cannot disagree with them.

Recent Australian History has demonstrated that migrants from western countries can easily integrate into the Australian society. So, the government should set up its migration policies accordingly.

Culture is at the core of any society. It is about values and believes we shared or are willing to share. I really hope that in 20 years Australia is still the same country I felt in love with more than a decade ago.

Good day,

Fair enough Brian, I think it would at least be appropriate to allow the UN to write us off the charter, and good point Hobbles.
Although the relationship between involvement in the war against the refugees' country, whether they actually pick our country at all as opposed to a neutral one (possibly preferable from their point of view), and how much our responsibility changes once we withdraw (or of course, broken election promises to withdraw).
Also keep in mind that any Australian government only represents about 35% of the population due to our faulty concepts of what a 'voting majority' is, so the remaining 65% are being held responsible for them.

From my understanding Australia has signed
a legal agreement to take in a certain
number of refugees. In other words we're
legally obligated to do so and I believe
that compared to other countries - even
much poorer countries - we're far short of
the agreed mark.

However, what I don't understand is -
why can't we process these people much faster
than we do? New Zealand does it much quicker,
why can't we? Surely it can't be that difficult to
find out if someone is a genuine refugee. Air-ports
check the authenticity of travellers trying to enter
into the country at a relatively fast rate - so why
do we need detention centers?

There has to be a better way of dealing with this
problem than what's currently on offer - and politics
and finger-pointing should be kept out of it.

I think the IPCC would approve your Contribution.
It's nicely "Mooned Up".

There is plenty Morally wrong with Modern Australia caused by greed mostly , we have lost the Village way of life there is no Community of care we are not mindful of how basic life is in some Countries .

Cases of 3 Family's living in one house is common now in Oz . With 6 - 7 kids each soon pays for a house , the Real Estate Moguls that run the country would be happy .

So nobody cares .

I am a Pensioner , I have 2 Dependants yet , I receive SS for one who is an Aspergers Person and none for the other with the elevation in Power and Water Costs we can no longer afford Vegetables and our clothing is starting to look a bit secondhand but I am not winging and I am not contemplating any departures in a leaky boat .

So I must be better off in Oz than my equal in ShiLanka at least I have never been attacked by an army and had half my relatives murdered.

I feel happy that I am unlikely in Oz to be attacked by the Australian Army !

I find it extremely odd that all the ShriLankens I know are incredibly friendly and civilized and AFAIK well educated some a bit hard to decipher (tend to talk very fast).