An excellent article from Malcolm Fraser in today's 'National Times':

<< Take politics out of border protection

The major parties should quietly agree on a humane refugee policy.

THE political debate over asylum seekers demeans Australia and severely damages our reputation as a compassionate and humane country. Both political parties are at fault. The opposition has unashamedly continued to play a race card as it did over Tampa. It has said time and again that the government has lost control of Australia's border protection knowing that that charge is false.

It is false because the number of asylum seekers - whether it be 4000 or 5000 a year - is not enough to alter the complexion of Australia or to challenge Australia's values. It is false because the number of asylum seekers who come here by air with falsified papers has always outnumbered the number who come by boat. >>

http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/opinion/politics/take-politics-out-of-border-protection-20100414-sdyo.html

*It is false because the number of asylum seekers who come here by air with falsified papers has always outnumbered the number who come by boat*

Sheesh, these people just don't get it. Compassion is no excuse
for stupidity. The fact is, it is the human nature of some, to
rort the system, if doors are left open so wide, that it is easy
to rort. From insulation, to building school halls to asylum seekers,
voters expect Govts to minimise the rorting that is going on
at their expense.

If people are rorting the system by air, so stop them, don't try
to use that as a justification of rorting the system by boat.

The fact remains that there are millions of refugees in the world.
The fact remains that we can only take a small number of them.
The fact remains that our present system of first sailing or flying
over the line is hardly a fair one to select the most deserving.
The fact remains that our present flawed system, is also a huge
waste of taxpayer $, in terms of doing things efficiently and
spending money wisely, to achieve what is a very unfair outcome

And of course CJ who is the model of compassion wants politics taken out of the illegal arrivals so we can suck up to the UN. Give us a break. Why is it that the so many on the left want to be so compassionate with Government (other peoples) money.

Sheesh - these people just don't get it. Yabby repeats his usual lie that boat people are "rorting the system", as if there's a coherent system for processing asylum seekers where they come from, while runner displays the Christian compassion we've come to expect from him.

CJ, applications to live in Australian, are taken at any
Australian Embassy around the world. People are free to apply
and take their chance, as other migrants do. Some people wait for
years, for applications are overwhelming.

People can apply through the UNHCR in places like Indonesia.

The Govt already has a system of selecting 13'000 a year, or
whatever is left, after those pushing their way in on boats,
get through the system.

Fact is that millions of Afghans continue to live in Afghanistan,
Tamils live in Sri Lanka. Unless of course they think that they
can push their way through, by paying people smugglers.

Malcolm had better get his compassionate head around a number
that he thinks we should take, before genuine asylum seekers living
in refugee camps, are taken into consideration.

Come on Yabby, don't be disingenuous. I said a coherent system for processing asylum seekers, not an imaginary queue where those seeking asylum supposedly line up with all other potential immigrants at the Australian Embassy, much less the laughable situation in the camps in Indonesia.

I agree that Australia should certainly take more refugees from offshore camps, in addition to ceasing to play political games with the lives of onshore asylum seekers. Of course, a very simple way of doing that would be to increase our self-imposed quota of humanitarian immigrants, while simultaneously cutting the number of 'skilled' and 'business' immigrants that we accept.