"Asylum-seeking is the greatest con trick of our age. Asylum seekers are cowards, and it’s good to have a contributor who is not afraid to say so. If people want reforms in their country, they should at least fight for them in that country and not prance about in a safe haven while their countrymen stay at home. Particularly as Australia does not support independence for West Papua anyway" - Leigh

Come on now, that's just nasty. So let me get this straight - if you had a family, and you were trapped in a violent, dangerous place, you should just 'fight it out' against superior odds? So what exactly? the women and children should take up arms? And in cases where there is mass genocide of a particular people - they should do what exactly? stay behind to 'fight' and die? Leave their babies to death?

My language here is extreme I'll grant you, but so is the plight of plenty of people - or is it only selfish people is safe places who want to leave... maybe no one anywhere is actually being massacred, and those who claim they are are just being selfish.

How dare they right leigh? Presumptious brats should just stay home and cop it.

I sincerely hope you're never in a situation where you're forced to run for your life, though at least it might give you a little taste of what some asylum seekers go through.

oh don't worry turnrightturnleft, Leigh will just tell you that 'history is full of do-gooders and bleeding hearts' and your just another one of them

gee its easy living in Australia

Personally, I rather like "well-meaning but misguided and soft-centred Australians". It's the ill-meaning but misguided and hard-centred ones who think like Des Moore that bother me.

Shouldn't Mr Hussein have the right to a trial before he is found guilty?

If we don't harden our refugee laws we will return to the time of the Tampa when boatload after boat load was lined up to enter Australia. We are a soft touch for all the unstables and activists who want to embroil us in their issues. There are a lot of people out there with little to offer apart from their problems who will welcome a chance to reach the security of legal aid that will help them to stay and get a piece of the social security utopia.

Two issues, immigration processes and West Papuans.

Confusing or adjoining the two seriously discourages sensible debate of either.

Re West Papua, each case has been dealt with and resolved, at least in the medium term.

The offshore handling of would be refugees is a deterrent. The point is we are better off deterring an unregulated influx of thousands of economic refugees from anywhere (UK and Ireland included) than leaving them to arrive here only to be repatriated when the lawyers have finished picking over them.

The problem with deterrent policies, when they work, the “problem” does not manifest and thus it is easy for the less visionary and enlightened to denounce its success.

“Mandatory offshore detention” is not just about the people who, foolhardily, attempt to arrive illegally,
It is more about the thousands of others who, knowing the veracity of their claims will be properly tested, decide not to jump the queue and not try illegal entry in the first place.