This is a much-vexed issue, causing many of us much grief, whatever side of the fence we may be on - whether willing to welcome as many refugees as possible, or those who prefer we accept none.

No easy solutions; but Manus, Nauru, Christmas Island, or mainland detention are not acceptable solutions; and 'turning back the boats' is at best a temporary 'stop-gap'.

We know there are many millions of refugees (and/or displaced persons), and their numbers are growing as strife swells around the globe, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Myanmar, Sri-Lanka, Central African Republic, the Congo, and elsewhere. Millions living in terrible deprivation, or barely surviving in refugee camps with the help of the UNHCR and various NGO's and charities.

'We' cannot take them all, the 'developed world' cannot take them all - or at least is unwilling to do so.
I can see only one solution - all displaced persons should be accommodated in acceptable conditions in refugee camps established in their 'home' countries, or in those adjoining countries to which they have fled. All in the same 'boat'; all being catered for by organised international agencies, and under reliable UN protection, until such time as the strife in their home countries can be resolved, or until alternative 'resettlement' can be arranged.
No 'queue jumpers', no forced diaspora, no favoritism for those who can afford to pay bribes.

All displaced by life-threatening strife should be assisted to reach the safe-haven of the nearest internationally-maintained refugee camp, and the full thrust of international intervention be focused both on the maintenance of those camps and on the diplomatic or, if necessary, the armed resolution of the foundational causes of these displacements.

On this model, 'unconventional' arrivals would be processed quickly, with those fitting 'refugee' criteria found immediate resettlement places, and all others rapidly deported to the most appropriate international refugee camp.
Indonesia and Malaysia could adopt similar arrangements.

My rationale: provide equal treatment to all, equal compassion, equal opportunity - with genuine hope for a better future, for all.
(And, let's not wreck the planet by overpopulating, please.)

FOTIS your naivety is striking. It is not about the similarities or not between Islam and other religions.

The issue is Australia is a secular society. Unlike other religions Islam wants to change Australia into a religious society where sharia prevails.

That is an indisputable fact. How many times do muslims have to say that's what they want before people like you accept that muslims are not like other immigrants; other immigrants did not want to get rid of Australia's secular democracy. Muslims do.

We know Islam will inevitably cause conflict in every Western society it infiltrates because in EVERY Western society in Europe and elsewhere when the % of muslims reaches about 5% then enclaving and pronounced conflict occurs. In England for instance there are whole suburbs and villages given over to sharia and which have effectively become no go zones.

Every time an attempt is made to discuss islam and its threat to democracy along comes the religious comparison and the "moderate muslim" myth pops up; for a rebuttal of the "moderate muslim" myth see:

http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/the-moderate-muslim.html

FOTIS, "Muslims have been here since the first fleet, when did you blow in?"

Before you I'd reckon, but who cares about that? We have enough great Ozzies who are first generation, & quite a few just off the boat, just none of them are Muslim.

Hasbeen, I have to SLIGHTLY disagee, as there are decent Musilms here, it's just that the religion they follow, also harbors the hatred that the extremists from that faith feed off.

My solution is, ban the religion and, if Muslims want to live here, in our peace loving nation, then they must leave their baggage behind.

Either that, or, don't come here, or leave if you are already here.

As for Abbott and co, of cause it must hurt any labor lover to see just what can be done if you use actions, not words.

The fact that this young man was killed, while tragic, could have been prevented had he chosen to be a refugee and not an illegal entrant.

It truly is that simple, and to lay blame on a person, who is simply trying to work with a mess left by incompetents, just shows that those doing the finger pointing really can't accept that their incompetent mob, were in fact, incompetent.

Jay and Halduel, hitting that nail on the head again I see. Well said! As Spindoc notes, another 'bombed' article.

Jez Binoy

Why do you prefer drowning people on the high seas?