I would not normally post on issues relating to immigration due to the fervent moral stance taken by so many of the posters who have responded to the article and too many 'armchair' experts spewing forth their biased opinion.

I would like to point out, as someone who in an earlier life, a few years ago, was employed on the front-line, attempting to assist in protecting our so-called borders in the marine setting.

In a majority of cases those boats boarded, that's if they didn't sink themselves first to guarantee a lift to the mainland, were full of clear-cut economic refugees.

A number (and I am talking about a significant number) of boats would be intercepted near old WW II airstrips (Truscott and other such similar airfields or near-shore road junctions along the NW coast), the boat would drop off their passengers, all well dressed, carrying suitcases, in most cases stuffed full of Australian money (from god knows where?) and expect a short wait to be flown out or driven out to places unknown.

Little has changed, many of my old counterparts still work in the industry and little has changed, particularly from those claiming assylum from Sri Lanka, the only difference is they don't bring their wealth with them anymore, they wait until they have residency and slowly bring it in under-the-radar.

Likewise the old SIEV X type boats, the industry is now big business in Indonesia, a country that has no real interest in stemming the flow, current Labor government policy serves 'their' needs well.

I acknowledge there are genuine refugees, unfortunately the ones we add to our shores each day are unlikely to be of that ilk.

People need to wake up and realise there is a genuine way of entering this country as a refugee, if they don't like it, particularly the 90% who are 'economic refugees' then stay away or get in line like everyone else

individual,

Regarding Agatha Christie, I suspect you're right to the extent that there existed at that time certain protocols and arrangements that favoured colonial preferences.

Don't be so sure that Poirot would sanction the shallow-minded, fear driven xenophobia on this thread.

He'd analyse it. He'd even understand it, but I doubt he'd view it as anything other than one more example of uninspiring and petty humanity.

He'd analyse it. He'd even understand it,
Poirot,
That's exactly what I do hence my comments. What you lefties like to brand as xenophobia is in fact a sober assessment. You lot just don't happen to like it when others are ahead in thinking instead of putting on rose coloured glasses & pretending all is good when reality is not what you would like it to be.
Let me ask you this. How much are you prepared to forfeit to open your home to someone who came here via several other countries & telling you they are a refugee ? They are so poor but they did pay thousands to those who they full well know are bringing them here illegally to then seek asylum. Why not seek asylum in the first country you get to after escaping ? If Australia were to cut all support they'd still come here because to their religious agenda Australia is the last frontier. They are not political or economic refugees at all, they are soldiers for their religion.

Suse says:

"I meant to say that far more people from other religious, or non- religious, backgrounds have caused violence in this country, than those from Muslim backgrounds...."

That's a lie.

It also ignores the fact that muslims agitate for an overthrow of the legal system of the nation and indeed any nation they are in. No other group does that.

The comments of people like Suse eventually reach the stage where they cease to be that of 'useful idiots' and that of quislings.

Got your burqa yet Suse?

Whether or not boat-people / migrants (whether they be legal, illegal, political, economic or whatever) should be given virtually unlimited / unrestricted access to this country should be decided by a majority of citizens, NOT by bloodsucking parasite politicians of whatever affiliation, NOT by lawyer leeches who profit handsomely, NOT by the UN and most definitely NOT by a few bleeding hearts. Quite obviously we can't trust the red-headed witch to tell the truth & its highly doubtful that the RAbbott would recognize the truth if it jumped up and bit him. Whatever those clowns say needs to be taken with more than a few pinches of salt. As other contributors have correctly noted, there are countless Australian citizens who deserve a better deal eg pensioners, unemployed, returned soldiers etc etc and who warrant higher priority than freeloaders, most of whom have highly questionable status.

Geoff of Perth, You may have been as you claim "someone who in an earlier life, a few years ago, was employed on the front-line, attempting to assist in protecting our so-called borders in the marine setting." or you could be making it up to add weight to your argument. I am interested in this statement of yours;
"the only difference is they don't bring their wealth with them anymore, they wait until they have residency and slowly bring it in under-the-radar."
How do you know this to be true? Are you following these people around checking on their bank accounts, how could you possibly know this is true as you say, its "under-the-raidar". Unless you can offer an explanation about this and show its not a fabrication of yours, then I must assume the rest of your post could also be a fabrication. You may be nothing more than an 'armchair' expert spewing forth your biased opinion.