Sorry Azadeh but I support Bob Carr all the way.

There certainly does seem to be a big element of economic opportunism here. And we definitely DO need a tougher and more realistic assessment of refugees.

The really worrying thing is that the views you express, which are shared by the Greens and many other misguided humanitarian people, will continue to confound efforts to stop the boats and confine our international humanitarian efforts to within formal channels.

I implore you to stop focussing so narrowly on onshore asylum seekers and look at the whole picture, including Australia’s formal refugee intake within our immigration program, the nature of those people that are resettled here and how their claims compare to those facilitated by people-smugglers, our international aid programs, the effects that ongoing asylum seeking is having on Australian society, the huge monetary cost to the taxpayer, deaths at sea… and the eminent right that we have to control our borders and decide who comes to this country.

We need to stop the boats! We can do this AND be a respectably humanitarian nation.

It would help greatly if all those misguided humanitarians actually did the right thing and supported this… and concentrated their humanitarian efforts on improving the scale, efficiency and focus of our international aid, perhaps increasing the formal refugee intake, and the like.

< The return to Rudd: a turn for the worse on asylum seeker policy? >

Well, not a turn for the worse, because Labor was hopeless under Gillard in this regard. So hopefully it will lead to some level of improvement in the situation (which HE created!).

It will be most interesting to see how the interplay between Rudd and Carr pans out, given that they really are coming from opposite ends of the spectrum on this issue.

Ludwig

I’m all for realistic assessment of refugees, and would agree that people who claim refugee status but are found not to be refugees (by a fair and impartial process) should be returned.

But asserting that someone is an economic migrant doesn’t make it so, whether the assertion is made by you or Bob Carr. As the article explains quite clearly, the definition of a refugee is a matter of international law, not Australian government diktat. Evaluation of arrivals against internationally agreed criteria has found about 90% of claimants to be actual refugees. If you think this is too high, you must presumably either disagree with the internationally agreed definition of a refugee, or believe that our screening process does not apply that definition properly. In either case, I’d like to see the basis for your conclusions.

I think the term “economic migrant” is another vile weasel expression, like “people smugglers”, designed to screen us from the moral bankruptcy or our increasingly cruel and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers.

Well if Kevin Rudd has proved just one thing, he has proved that he is one of the most determined and implacable people on the planet.
I believe he has seen the light and is willing to take a new look through fresh eyes?
I find myself largely agreeing once again with Ludwig.
People that can afford to shell out $4,500.00 per passenger, for a one way trip to Christmas Island hardly fit the Asylum seeker model.
Which is to flee with what you stand in, and what you can hand carry, from official persecution?
We do need to take the sugar off the table.
At the conclusion of WW11, Europe was awash with displaced and or homeless people.
Those people to a person knew that their identifying documentation was their most prized possessions. Given that proved who they were and validated their claims!
Today's so-called asylum seeker has two very distinct choices, if they want to circumvent official channels. The first being to procure a visitor's visa, $80.00, and pay air fare. $500.00-$1,000.00?
And having safely arrived, present identifying documentation that supports their claims of persecution?
That's around $3,000.00 less than they currently shell out to criminal people smugglers! And, a far safer option!
And why would genuine asylum seekers deliberately destroy those documents that support their claims, unless of course, they did just the opposite?
In my opinion, arriving after destroying your identification documents and by irregular means, ought only result in automatic repatriation. [They need those same documents to travel through or stay in, so-called transit countries?]
If automatic repatriation is not currently possible, then they ought to be sent to somewhere where they're needed/sponsored, like the occasional pig farm, that simply can't get willing workers.
And paid just the minimum wage, until such time as their homeland is willing to accept them back and guarantee their safety/basic human rights.
There should be no family reunion, or permanent citizenship, unless they've come in the front door as an invitee, or as part of enlarged normal refugee resettlement!
Rhrosty.

Ludwig, Carr was lying. HOw many times are you going to spew out hate for no reason against people who are VICTIMS of war, genocide, oppression and torture who have committed no crime.

Last year alone 6.5 million new people were forced to flee their homes for the above reasons, why do you think none of the should ever come and bother us?

Carr claims they all say the same thing - they are all asked the same question on arrival ""why are you here"', the answer will by necessity always be "" to seek refugee status""

How is that rehearsed when it is the law?

The problem with Carr is he is a dangerous fool.

Rhosty, people who pay their own way are not doing anything wrong. Why do you pretend that is even an issue?

People who get to all parts of the world pay their own way, so what?

Does that somehow make them undeserving? Why do so many in Australia focus on this nonsense anyway and what does it have to do with us?

The only time refugees are our business is when they are here, what they do and how they travel and who they pay is irrelevant to anything.

Ludwig, Rhosty

"Facts"

Not Pollie-speak

http://www.factsfightback.org.au/are-asylum-seeker-claims-genuine-check-the-facts/