*The second is that the problem is partly one of Australia's own making. Australia has contributed to the destabilisation of several countries through its support for US efforts to secure Middle East oil through destructive invasions.
If Australia is being viewed as part of the cause of the flight of asylum seekers from this part of the world to its shores, then it is surely not a good thing to be accommodating these people, if they harbour a huge grudge against Australia for causing them such upheaval in the first place!*

Ah the penny drops...... of course Australia is part of the cause and yes we are a target because of it.

* Australia in its support of the US could be viewed as being part of an international effort to try and bring unrest in the Middle East and elsewhere to an end or to stop it from getting out of control.*

What international effort? Do you mean the token handful of forces that are supposed to legitimise the US invasion of what were sovereign countries?

It was a huge back down by Gillard! So, did the endless opposition by the cock-a-hoop crowing opposition give her any other choice?
Moreover, she simply could not sit on her hands while even more people drowned!
Once the laws are amended to once again legalise offshore processing, the govt would be free to try its luck with Thailand or East Timor both UNHR signatories.
If Sovereign nations Thailand or East Timor or Papua New Guinea, then sent some to Malaysia, Abbott would be powerless to prevent it.
Nor could he prevent the acceptance/resettlement of even more genuine refugees?
However, we do need better methods of establishing refugee bona fides.
Simply relying on human interview skills has seen some of the criminal cartel that is trafficking in human misery, reportedly able/allowed to infiltrate; and continue to run their trafficking operations with complete impunity.
When irregular arrivals and other refugees are accepted, they ought to go live where they are sent, rather than into yet another problematic/crime riddled capital city ghetto, like Lakemba, which is often referred to as little Lebanon, and nearly as lawless?
We also need to do something about our homeless and the youth unemployment rate, before we start routinely resettling irregular arrivals, regardless of the manner of their arrival!
Absolutely agree the no advantage rule for richer refugees, and no family reunion rights for irregular arrivals.
I mean accepting one, may mean making arrangements for five or six or more, multiplied by 27,000!
A regional solution/cooperation, will surely focus on alleviating the refugee load carried by near neighbours? Either by sourcing our share/intake from near neighbours, and further assisting them with the costs imposed by this tide in human misery!
Rhrosty.

I fully agree, popnperish. I made similar comments on another thread:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=5310#144177

As one might expect, the greens were/are busy rejecting the new refugee arrangements.
First they claimed that people, families, women and children were to be locked up.
Absolutely wrong, they will have the freedom of both Islands and free to wander where they may, with only a very reasonable rational curfew, to limit their roaming.
Moreover, they'll receive far better treatment and far more freedom, than those refugees rotting in prison camp like conditions, unable or unwilling to pay people smugglers, to transport them to Australia.
Anyone/everyone has the right to seek asylum, and having found said safety/sanctuary, anywhere, be it Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia, cease to be refugees or asylum seekers, but rather, intending migrants!
Intending migrants need to seek and gain permission to settle, from the intended host nation. Rather than destroy their personal identification, then engage a criminal cartel/organisation, to smuggle them across our maritime borders!
Only those with something to hide, destroy priceless documentation; without which, they may well wait years/decades longer to be permanently resettled?
At least this was the case, when we and we alone were in charge of our migration/refugee resettlement policy!
Again, facts that are routinely ignored by the less than rational green advocates/acolytes!
Also routinely ignored, are the nearly one thousand drowned somewhere between Christmas Island and Indonesia, since 2001!
It's perfectly okay to build dream castles in the clouds, but it's never reasonable or advisable, to take up permanent residence in them?
Rhrosty.

<< It was a huge back down by Gillard! So, did the endless opposition by the cock-a-hoop crowing opposition give her any other choice? >>

She certainly had other choices, Rhrosty - to do nothing, or to immediately embrace a total emphatic policy platform in order to stop the boats forthwith.

She’s gone part of the way, which really amounts to a half-arsed effort!

Sure, it is a major shift. But if she was going to make such a shift, then why wouldn’t she do it emphatically?

TPVs, mandatory detention with reasonably long minimum periods of detention no matter how easily claims might be processed as part of a strong deterrence policy, turning boats when it is deemed safe to do so, etc, etc.

This is what the majority of Australian voters want. She’d win a great deal of very badly needed support if she went the whole hog!

And the other major part of this whole story should be a detailed and frequent message put out by the government telling the people just how good our offshore refugee programs are by world comparisons and how our humanitarian aid is being spent…… and working on a refinement of this aid so that it is geared towards addressing refugeeism and sustainability…… and an increase in our offshore refugee intake.

In short, Australia is a pretty good humanitarian country. And we would remain so if the boats were stopped. In fact, we’d be a better one. Then with a bit of effort directed in the right places, in place of so much effort and money being directed at the facilitation of onshore asylum seeking, we could become a really good humanitarian country.

It’s great to see the Greens pushed out of the picture with their ridiculous agendas. Also Julia should be congratulated for her acceptance and implementation of the Houston report. None of the current crisis would have happened had silly Kevin kept his hands off the Pacific solution. I suggest we promote him a specially created position called “Gatekeeper of Nauru” or perhaps “Minister for Home Insulation”.

The vision of 27,000 unskilled emotionally damaged and probably welfare dependant arrivals each year after 2017 is rather disturbing. Sounds like a classic recipe for an underclass.