There are no gangs of unscrupulous people smugglers taking advantage of anyone but there are western governments paying vast sums to foreign prison companies to jail and torture refugees.

The notion that transport for people to get to a legal place of asylum is somehow illegal is deranged and I am sick to death of people claiming otherwise.

Dear Shira,
Perhaps unfortunately your religious & ethnic background has obviously coloured your observations somewhat. I am also a boat migrant person in the broad sense, the difference between myself and the present boat refugee is the manner in which I undertook the boat journey.
Possibly not unlike your Grandfather and Father I had permission to land in Australia before I boarded the ship that brought me here. I was not fleeing persecution or leaving my birth country illegally, or, perhaps even because of my previous criminal activities. I boarded the boat in an attempt to better my meaning of life. I deliberately chose to come to Australia for a number of reasons, the chief reason being it was a democratic country with a history of social justice. When I arrived her I made a very conscious attempt to accept my adopted country's, customs, culture, way of life,mode of dress, etc.In other words to fit in. This I believe I have accomplished without any government handouts or even any expectation of such assistance.
It would seem to me that quite a large number of these illegal boat refugees expect to live exactly the same lives as they lived in their birth country with no or little intention of accepting the customs, culture, etc, of their adopted land. They also expect the government to assist them financially and in kind.
I agree the legal migration process should be enlarged and streamlined
but no person should come here or be encouraged to come here unless that person or persons has been formally processed and assessed to be a suitable migrant to be granted permanent residence in this country.

no gangs of unscrupulous people smugglers
Marylin,
You're obviously ignorant about the seasonal conditions of Timor Laut.

Repeat after me, Shira : Australia cannot save the world. Australia
cannot save the world. Australia cannot save the world. etc.

How many hundred thousand refugees a year, do you think we should
take?

Australia cannot save the world.
Oh c'mon Yabby,
We have the Carbon Tax for a start, that'll save the world, Australia can accommodate at least 50 million people in third world conditions & you say Australia can't save the world ?
The Malayisia solution could have saved the world but Tony Abbott so clearly ruined that idea.
You need to have more faith in people like Shira & Julia & Marylin & 579.

And four of the usual suspects add zero.