Cohenite, your second paragraph may be what you want to believe but it is either unknown or simply wrong. The definition of a refugee is in Article 1 of the Convention and part of our Migration Act. the people on Manus have not been processed so we don't know what their status is. What we do know is that 88% of people claiming refugee status in Australia in the past several years have been found to meet the relevant criteria.

My objections to their treatment is apparent from previous postings. I would not like to think that Australians actually condone what has happened on Manus in the past week, at least as much as we know what has happened, pending a proper inquiry.

JB & LL: You are obviously so wedded to the LNP that you are incapable of rational discussion. Whether a government is doing the right thing or not is a different concept to whether the ALP was good bad or indifferent. Because in your view the LNP is better (and you are entitled to argue that view) is irrelevant to the question of whether or not they are pursuing policies that are fair, rational, likely to work etc. You won't be marched off to a detention centre if you concede that the Abbott regime has got off to a less than brilliant start.

Where do you get your 88% from James? And could you specify the definitions in the respective Acts?

The Migration Act, from my reading, rather supports my point, especially in respect of the protection of third countries which is where these illegals were coming from; an issue you avoid.

Anyone, the illegals are not honest brokers; and I dare say once Morrison clears up who betrayed him in his department [in respect of giving him false advice, not that it matters since the illegals did riot and commit serious criminal offences; and it needs to clarified whether the dead Iranian, whose relatives in Iran have requested his body returned, so how could he have been a refugee?!] it will be clear that the rioters were typical troublemakers, country shoppers and malcontents.

The fact is Australia cannot take all 25 or so million genuine refugees in the world and every illegal who comes here or who causes Australia to waste money on them prevents a genuine refugee from arriving; another issue you avoid.

The left on this issue beginning with the psychopath Rudd's dismantling of a working system and ending with the current remnants of Gillard's corrupt government falsely claiming success in stopping the boats has been consistently putrid, offensively hypocritical and responsible for the deaths of many 100s of people.

Disgusting.

spindoc, so witty and cutting, do you write your own stuff? http://soundbible.com/2010-Laughter.html