Not sure what you think a Royal Commission into asylum seeker 'policy' would achieve that a general election hasn't.

But we always get a laugh when the big-government brigade are left sputtering with indignation when they get a taste of their own medicine.

I don't want to get involved in a discussion on the rights or wrongs of the situation. I just want to give my personal perspective. As a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, if I had been dwelling in a place where I lived in fear for my children's lives, if I couldn't sleep for dread of hearing the door slam open in the middle of the night, if I could see no future for my family but endless persecution and terror, then quite frankly, if I found myself and my children on Xmas Island I would go down on my knees and give thanks to God!
Grassed playing areas with playground equipment, swimming pool(with instructor), sports fields, school, comfortable accomodation, health care, regular food and above all, safety for my children. No fear that my children would be kidnapped on the way to school. No worry that they would become ill and I had no health care for them. No trying to find food for them to eat. The ability to sleep soundly at night without the dread of being dragged from our beds by our persecutors.
I would never want to leave!

Everyone is entitled to a view, even a minuscule minority one!
Perhaps we could have one? If one of our richest Australians, Janet Holmes Acourt, would pay for it herself!
Put your money, (avoided tax?) where your mouth is Sweetheart.
Without bias, Rhrosty.

It is articles like this, from very dumb people, that tell us what is wrong with our foreign policy.

It is the people in our diplomatic service, who love others more than Ozzies.

Big Nana,

"...if I found myself and my children on Xmas Island I would go down on my knees and give thanks to God!
Grassed playing areas with playground equipment, swimming pool(with instructor), sports fields, school, comfortable accomodation, health care, regular food and above all, safety for my children. No fear that my children would be kidnapped on the way to school. No worry that they would become ill and I had no health care for them. No trying to find food for them to eat. The ability to sleep soundly at night without the dread of being dragged from our beds by our persecutors.
I would never want to leave!"

Now for a dose of reality...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/31/immigration-department-detention-child-mental-health-inquiry

"Doctors who worked on Christmas Island recounted shocking details of medical neglect, including stripping asylum seekers of basic medication when they arrived, as documented in a letter of concern written by 15 doctors working on Christmas Island..."

"A former departmental official described the purpose of immigration detention as “to remove hope” for asylum seekers."

"Sanggaran and Ferguson relayed a number of details documented in the letter, including issues with medical diagnosis on the island, shocking facilities and the inability to transfer patients needing urgent treatment.

An epileptic girl had her medication stripped on arrival at Christmas Island – as is standard practice – and doctors could provide only one of two necessary pieces of medication. "

"Elizabeth Elliot, a paediatrician who accompanied the human rights commision on a three-day visit to Christmas Island earlier in the month, said she observed children unable to get treatment for conditions including an undescended testicle, abscesses and skin problems.

She said many children were suffering serious mental health issues."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-24/triggs-self-harming-in-detention/5621706

"The mothers were concerned that there are no places for babies to learn to crawl or walk in the 3x3 metal containers where they are confined in the extreme heat. These rooms contain a bunk bed and a cot and this leaves only one square metre of space."

Here you go, Big Nana,

More luxury?

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/09/03/asylum-seeker-brain-dead-after-cut-turned-septicaemia-shocking-detention

"Asylum seeker brain dead after cut turned to septicaemia in 'shocking' detention conditions"

“Hamid is a victim of the shocking conditions and medical neglect on Manus Island. It is inexcusable that he developed septicaemia on Manus Island,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

Ian Rintoul says the Australian Government is responsible for Mr Kehazaei's death.

"There are scores of infections on Manus Island, and many complaints of the lack of medical attention. Asylum seekers on Manus Island are often forced to walk through raw sewage."

Fellow asylum seekers being detained at Manus Island detention centre have signed a letter declaring they hold the International Health and Medical Service (IHMS) is to blame. IHMS is contracted by the federal government to run health services within Australian detention centres."

Poirot, the Australian residents on Xmas Island have the same issue with medical services, yet no one is complaining about their lot in lot. As for Gillian Triggs, she has already been caught out lying at the commission, with her statement about armed guards.
The mothers with crawling babies are not forcibly kept in their air conditioned rooms. Grassed areas outside, in the playground are available. I raised 4 children in the tropics, without air conditioning and my my kids were fine, even though they didn't have the swimming pool the Xmas Is kids have. In fact, at one stage we lived in the remote bush in the Kimberley in a tin shed, without power or running water. Many Australians, including Indigenous ones, living in very remote areas would love some of the facilities available on Xmas Is.

Poirot, many detainees also complain about conditions at Curtin detention centre, yet people tend to forget that Curtin was originally an airforce base,,home to our servicemen and their families. Good enough for them but apparently not good enough for asylum seekers.

Big Nana,

".... As for Gillian Triggs, she has already been caught out lying at the commission, with her statement about armed guards."

Yeah...thanks for that.

From a govt which has done little else but "lie" and resort to "suppression of info"

...that's quite a laugh.

see the usual progressives dismissing Triggs outright lie and showing no compassion for the 1000 plus drowned. Instead they need their little dose of Abbottphobia displaying little hissy fits and 'moral ' outrage as Rudd did about global warming. Bruce's embarrasmment of MOrrison stopping the boats when he and most others said it wasn't possible leads him to write such rott. Big Nana you are spot on.

Big Nana
You need to understand that Poirot doesn't care that what she's saying is untrue.

For her, there's no such thing as truth, only "ideology".

runner,

Nice to see you approve of these sorts of conditions, you compassionate little thing you.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/09/03/asylum-seeker-brain-dead-after-cut-turned-septicaemia-shocking-detention

...as if you give two hoots for anyone drowned as they fled in desperation.

(And I know you're knocked out by your favourite term, Abbottphobia - but, Hint: it's not really that clever)

Never mind JKJ, Big Nana,

As he's constantly out-debated - his only recourse is to accuse opponents of speaking "untruths".

More dishonesty from Poirot ho hum. You're the one who supports violence without limit to force people to obey whatever government wants, remember? You're the one who thinks government automatically and necessarily knows better than society without needing to show reason or evidence, remember?

You ran away from answering how you disagree with shooting people to enforce the policies you favour, because you knew you'd prove you don't and you're contradicting yourself, like you are now, remember?

But if you persist in evasion, I'll persist in humiliating your dishonesty. If you're not lying, then then tell us at what stage short of shooting people do you renounce the use of aggressive violence to enforce the policies you support

<<He has said he does not want naval or customs personnel to have to look into the faces of drowned children.>>

Oh, the poor personnel could have their stomach upset!

If he's honest (a paradox, for he's a politician!), then why send naval/customs ships near Indonesia where those children drown? Keep the sailors home, then they won't see any drownings!

'as if you give two hoots for anyone drowned as they fled in desperation.

don't judge everyone by your own standard Poirot. Your dishonesty is on display for all to see. You call that debate! True I can't match your untruths.

Of course we need a Royal Commission into asylum seeker 'policy'. It is a good way to give some retired judges, & broken down law academics a nice retirement bonus, & find something for a host of useless bureaucrats to fill a few months.

It would be a great opportunity for all the bleeding hearts who want to spend our money on useless flotsam to do a lot of shouting.

Hell the ABC could fill the airwaves with how dreadful real Ozzies are for months.

Of course we must have one.

Hopefully a Royal Commission would bring down the verdict that we should return to the pre-Tampa bipartisan approach to the boat people issue.We did ourselves proud with the Vietnamese boat people. Admittedly there was a bit of guilt then for joining the US in an unholy war.

A bipartisan approach that de-politcises the boat people issue should wean the voters from the continual gladiatorial jousts aimed principally at demonstrating which side is better at ridding us of those unlovable things - illegals, queue jumpers, terrorists... - echoes of how the Chinese were vilified in C19.

Surely we have more pressing issues than a few thousand boat people a year. There are tens of thousands of asylum seekers who come in by planes. Admittedly these are not from the countries of the boat people. But there are hundreds of thousands of mainly home-grown homeless people ... Why are we such a mindless people, unable to lift our eyes above the opium muffins thrown at us by our political telly evangelists?

JKJ,

"You ran away from answering how you disagree with shooting people to enforce the policies you favour, because you knew you'd prove you don't and you're contradicting yourself, like you are now, remember?

But if you persist in evasion, I'll persist in humiliating your dishonesty. If you're not lying, then then tell us at what stage short of shooting people do you renounce the use of aggressive violence to enforce the policies you support"

What ARE you blathering about?

I wish I had a dollar for every time you've whipped out that generic piece of gobbledygook.

You know, the ones you keep in your vault of verbose and repetitive stock-response posts.

One would not expect a former diplomat to condone the practice of smuggling asylum seekers into Australia. Nor would one expect a former diplomat to favour illegal entrants jumping the genuine refugee queue.

Evasion to try to squirm out of being confronted over your self-contradiction backed up by a lie. No doubt that satisfies your intellectual standard, but the fact remains you haven't got any reason for anyone to be forced to do what you want, and that's all your posts amount to.

Australia will be held to account for how our successive governments have dealt with people seeking asylum. Both sides of politics have blood on their hands. The LNP and the ALP both. Manaus was a creation of the last government.

This particular government is even more disgusting in that they are the ones perpetuating the 'queue' myth, yet slashing refugee intake by almost 7000. But let the 457 visa keep coming in. Stuff the growing unemployment of Australians.

I cannot comprehend how steadfast holding onto ideology can blind so many from holding their elected officials to account. You too have blood on your hands.