Marilyn,

You have really lost the plot now, comparing Australians working overseas with the bludging, so-called refugees who come here univited and illegally.

If it's OK for the Immigration Minister and Attorney General to refer to people turning up by boat as ILLEGAL, it's OK for me. Whether you like it or not, Australia still has laws of its own and has the right to enforce them. We are not under the boot of world government, yet.

These uninvited and ILLEGAL entrants can say anything they want, and there is no way that immigration officials can prove or disprove what they say. The ILLEGALS are opportunists who leave the majority of their countrymen behind to face what you assure us, via your crystal ball or vivid imagination, is persecution. Perhaps you could put your 'concern' into action and go to some of these Muslim countries and see what you can do to help them sort out their problems in their own countries, where they belong. You are certainly not contributing anything to Australia, and all your drivel has achieved nothing for your ILLEGAL friends. You won't do this of course, because you are full of it, as they say.

No, you will continue to rubbish your own country and countrymen and women because you can get away with it.

OK I give up - Leigh, Mickijo, Wendy - why don't you arm yourselves, stand on the coast and shoot refugees as they arrive? It will pay well and you will be immune from prosecution for murder.

As to the word "illegal" - go right ahead and use it, it is still wrong.

What do you want to do about the 13,000 other refugees who are being migrated into the country every year? Stand at the airports and shoot them on arrival. Do you know any refugees? Do you know what a refugee is yet?

Some still seem to think that there are hundreds of people on Nauru - what a surprise for them then that there are only 2 Iraqi men and they cost $12 million per year to keep there - and all this time we are invading and occupying Iraq on the pretext of freeing the Iraqi people.

There is an ugliness in the psyche of some like Leigh who don't understand a simple concept - refugees are human beings. My friends from Iraq and Iran are doctors, economists, have degrees in English and are highly educated but could not live in their own countries without being tortured simply because they are educated.

The Afghans I know are the most intelligent, quick learning people I have ever known and the Afghans did help to build Australia after all.

And Leigh, the 1 million Australians overseas did only leave to find a better country, if not they would all come rushing back so that we don't need to bring in 700,000 temporary workers each year. You could say they have deserted us like the leaches they are.

marylin, have you heard the word,Opportunists? Do you read the papers that give news on the muslim populations who have swamped European countries and the troubles they have caused to their hosts?
Do you think our laws and traditions should be arranged to suit muslims?
Should we legislate to permit female circumcision, polygamy,women forced into berqs, arranged marriages, honour killings and all the rest of the Islamic delights?
I would suggest that you are living in the wrong country,our freedoms and tolerance are being abused by immigrants who wish to impose their horrible religious ways on us.
Open both eyes marylin.

You can say what you want Leigh, fact is seeking asylum is NOT ILLEGAL. You are wrong, deal with it.

But facts dont matter to people like you, only your own stupid prejudices. I ask you again, why are you so scared and upset by a few West Papuans?

And mickijo, as for horrible religious ways being imposed on us, I am totally opposed to that, but Tony Abbot is more of a concern in that regard than a few black people on a boat. What religion are the West Papuans?

Dear Marilyn
your reply actually 'makes' my case. The idea that 3 million people in Iran are being given a hard time, and some leave (yes, it is understandable) to make their way to places like Australia, ... well here is my point. Would you accept all 3 million ? because they are all in the same boat. I don't know where you would draw the line, would it be 'those who can make it here' ? or.. ALL who could make it here, but didnt.

I cannot imagine you would open our country to all those who are experiencing such problems, because they would amount to more than our current population. But u don't make this clear.

I draw the line at = 'our legal, democratically determined levels, through lawful chanels'.

If it is suggested that 'back door' methods such as used by many middle easterners 'boat people'.... then how MANY would you accept ?
Once you show sympathy to the back doorers, MORE will without doubt come, having seen how easy it was for those who went before them.

So, in this case. how MANY will you allow to come ? can you put a figure..annual intake... upper limit...etc ? it would probably avoid much of the vitriol you are currently encountering
Cheers

David Boaz, every argument you make is absurd. There are 8 million refugees in Asia and 6 million in Africa. 100,000 are "accepted" by the west through migration programs and Australia "accepts" 6,000 of them. At that rate it will take about 3,000 years.

What is the obsession with numbers? Why are people always whining about what happened in England and Europe when the numbers of people wanting protection has fallen by 80% of the past year? Who cares what happened in Europe? We are bringing muslim refugees and migrants to Australia every day of the week - I guess the real fear is of muslims - but imagine how the people in Iraq and Afghanistan feel when we keep bombing them.

The reality is that the world could absorb every refugee in the world in a week and no-one would notice as they are only about one third of one percent of the world's population. About the same as the population of Australia.

And Wendy, will you stop libelling me? I have worked with aboriginal people for decades, don't hate them, don't hate the homeless, don't hate the poor and can't work with a migration centre in Sydney when I live in Adelaide.