When one is flee<ing for ones life, safety is the issue not wether a far away country is a signatory to some treaty. They never approached any Australian embassy seeking refugee status. We do have one in Indonesia.

They lived and worked in Pakistan for some time. If they were fleeing Afganistan why did they hesitate for some time in Pakistan, they must have felt some safety there. They could have equally settled in Indonesia with the same illegal intent under which they entered Australia, and live among the diverse nationalities there. No; it appears they were not more than economic opportunists. They would work here hidden in some underhand workplace, or until they were arrested as illegals.

If they were bonifide refugees they could have applied to Australian officials on their way for refugees status and be introduced legally rather than take a criminal risk of just arriving and merging into our society. They did not seek refugee status until after they were captured. They were happy just to float around in our society unregistered. So refugee status was not the foremost thought on their mind.

Philo,
"Australia has not taken a single refugee from the UNHCR in Jakarta – from the so-called 'queue' - for more than three years. This is despite the rhetoric from Australian politicians for asylum seekers to be processed in Indonesia."

Rather than fill in paperwork at an Embassy, you can claim refugee status once you set foot on a nation's soil - that's why the government is systematically excising certain parts of our territory.
(That was actually the main reason for Federation back in 1901- not lofty dreams of nationhood but to keep out the Chinese.)

There are 2.5 Million refugees in camps in Pakistan already - not much of a future there I'm afraid. Iran and Pakistan held more than 2 million refugees in 2000 and we collectively panicked over 4174 arrivals, to the extent that when a boat appeared on the horizon on Melbourne Cup Day, an emergency session of Parliament was convened to close a potential loophole.

Nevertheless, despite the institutionalised demonisation and fear mongering, the overwhelming majority of refugees have been found to have bona-fide refugee status after all, so is it the method of arrival or the people themselves that causes such animosity?

I don't see the same degree of emotion against the recent Papuan arrivals so I'm guessing it's the country of origin that's the problem.

I saw the same thing over the Asian boat people in the 70's but the government at that time didn't exploit these people for political gain or try to shirk it's international obligations.

What would you do for your family and how far would you go under the same circumstances?

Philo.. you have a good point mate.. The issue IS.. "Safety" not 'country of preferred choice'.

From the moment they step out of the 'Safety' loop..they are no longer genuine refugees. So, yes.. consider this:

OPTION 1 Run into the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and request processing. Legal, Safe, Protected.

OPTION 2 Give all your money to a criminal peope smuggler, take your chance on an unseaworthy boat, battle harsh unforgiving seas, with 'a' chance (if ur really lucky) to reach Australia.
Dangerous, questionable survival, unprotected.

The fact that they choose option 2 makes it abundantly clear they are not assylum seekers but "country shoppers".

Wobbles as much as confirms this in his response to Philo.

hey Wobb.. you claimed there are 2.5 MILLION refugees in Pakistan. Hmm.. would you like ALL of them to come here ? I can promise you one thing, if we followed a 'gentle gentle/softly softly' border control approach THEY WOULD BE ALL ON THE NEXT SHIP.

Yep, a slight exaggeration to make a point, but a valid point.

To allow uncontrolled entry to Australia is socially and policitally dangerous. Notice the result HAPPENING BEFORE OUR EYES in Los Angeles ? Notice that as the laws are being tightened THERE IS A RUSH to enter the USA ?

Notice how 'THEY ARE CLAIMING RIGHTS TO THE TERRITORY' ? ("We did not cross the border, the border crossed us")

Notice the 'OPPORTUNISTIC POLITICAL PARASITES' Some latino socialist lady is running a huge protest with the theme "The Republicans HATE Latinos"

Wobbles.. you and other 'bleeding hearts' (don't mean to be offensive there) can rave and rant all you like.. WE ARE SEEING the confirmation of our position on daily TV.

BOAZ_David

Don't you read others' posts? Wobbles had already succinctly answered the point you laboured so painfully with your Option 1 and Option 2.

No one is advocating "uncontrolled entry to Australia" as you incorrectly suggest. As a wealthy AND CHRISTIAN country however, surely we have a global responsibility to at least give temporary protection to the small trickle of boat arrivals who have risked their lives - and quite legitimately - to get here.

I'm still waiting to see some words of JC's that would support your hateful and UN-CHRISTIAN attitude towards those less fortunate than yourself. And no I'm not finding them myself. You're normally a bible quoting junkie so why the sudden reticence now?

Bronwyn,
Why do we encourage any to come to Australia? Our first priority ought to be to assist and teach people in practical ways to develop their own country as a peaceful and productive nation. We are a desert nation of 24,000,000 with less than 1/4 working to support our society. We do not have the resources to continually take in people from poor nations and place them on our welfare assistance.

We may at present be wealthy, but in the next 100 years we will not have the natural resourses to maintain that wealth; especially if our population doubles and our creative skills are lost. The current movement is to buy our food and machinery from overseas because it assists developing countries and is cheaper. Farming in Australia is more expensive and our work standards are higher. There are too many people living off other peoples productivety. Our wages and conditions must fall as more and more imports enter Australia which will reduce our standards of living.

The good Samaritan, gave healing, accomodation in an Eastern inn and finance to assist the assulted man left for dead on the road; he did not say he could come and live in his house.

Your point, "As a wealthy AND CHRISTIAN country however, surely we have a global responsibility to at least give temporary protection to the small trickle of boat arrivals who have risked their lives - and quite legitimately - to get here."

European governments made the foolish mistake of allowing millions of 'asylum seekers' and 'refugees' to enter their countries. Look at those countries now. Far from showing gratitude, or even the desire to integrate into the countries that have given them a second chance in life, these people have systematically attacked welfare and health systems to the point of breakdown; Muslim 'immigrants' have been responsible for a startling increase in all kinds of crime, not to mention the rapes of European women carried out by Muslims in every country where they have been allowed to settle. This happened in Sydney, the gang rapes carried out by so called 'refugees' whose parents were allowed to enter this country with no background or criminal record checks by an ALP government determined to capture the Muslim vote. That worked well, didnt it?

At what point should this never ending stream of 'refugees' be curtailed? When they have finally outbred us and their oft stated desire for Australia to become an 'Islamic country' is a reality? When the streets of Sydney are too dangerous to walk in because of driveby shootings and armed robberies -- oh thats right, this is already a reality ..

Nothing will be solved by forcing Western countries to accept people who are completely incompatible with our values and mores, or by transferring the problems created by religious Fascism, primitive tribalism and dictator governments to civilised countries.

Anyone who doubts this need only visit France - or Denmark - or Sweden - or the UK - or Germany ... every one of these countries are heartily regretting their lax attitudes to 'open borders'. Those who know the situation in Europe, yet continue trying to pressure Australia into emulating the cowardly decisions of European governments can only be called traitors.