There must be an urgent review into Australia's border protection laws to deter asylum seekers from making the dangerous trip to Australia, says acting opposition Leader Julie Bishop (Cairns Post 22/9).

On Sunday 54 asylum seekers were pulled from a stricken boat. This takes the number of people intercepted to 1620 since the border protection laws were eased last year.

"Rudd should stop blaming everybody and everything else and take responsibility for changing the border protection laws", she said.

OK so we've been over this subject numerous times on OLO. But I believe that if something's rotten, then you've got to keep at it and not just let stinking dogs lie!

I hope that the Opposition sees fit to grind Rudd's nose into the dust over this issue.

In conjunction, I dearly hope they also see fit to increase our international aid effort directed at the causes of refugeeism, they increase our refugee intake within a much-reduced total immigration intake and they develop a population and sustainability policy for this country.

Come on you Libs. You've got the greatest opportunity to develop policies that will really set you apart from the Ruddiculous course that this country is currently on, that will resonate with the populace and that will secure our future instead of destroying it!

Get ye act together!!

C'mawwn Julie!!

Who's with me on this?

Ludwig

<< OK so we've been over this subject numerous times on OLO. But I believe that if something's rotten, then you've got to keep at it and not just let stinking dogs lie! >>

There's nothing rotten, dear Ludwig, in Australia continuing to honour its international and regional obligations and resettle a miniscule proportion of the world's refugees.

UNHCR figures for 2008 indicate that Australia ranked 51st in the number of refugees it resettled, with 20,919 refugees (0.2% of the global total). In per capita terms, Australia came in at 69th.

The figures also revealed that, at the end of 2008, Australia had just 0.3% of the world’s asylum seekers, 2,159 out of a global total of 827,323. Of the 535,950 asylum seekers recognised as refugees around the world during 2008, just 1,845 (0.3%) were in Australia.

Let's have some perspective here, Ludwig. Sure, the number of boat arrivals has increased, but it is not due solely to changes in government policy. Sri Lanka has become desperately unsafe and many parts of Afghanistan are more dangerous than ever. Australia is not unique. The number of asylum seekers taking to boats is increasing the world over. We have the capacity to process and resettle the small numbers that are arriving here and the only humane response is to do so.

<< In conjunction, I dearly hope they also see fit to increase our international aid effort directed at the causes of refugeeism, they increase our refugee intake within a much-reduced total immigration intake and they develop a population and sustainability policy for this country. >>

I'm in total agreeance on all these points, as we've established previously. :)

1620
OMFG we are being invaded. Call out the militia. Man the barricades.

Get some perspective and stop sounding like a meanspirited, racist, xenophobic hillbilly.

Ludwig: << Who's with me on this? >>

Certainly not me. Wow, a whole 1620 boat people in a year!

They're obviously a much bigger threat to Australia than the hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and visa overstayers who arrive by plane, the bogus students who sign up for pretend courses in order to qualify for Howard's residency program, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of 'skilled' immigrants per annum that are envisaged in order that our population might reach 35M by 2050.

Ludwig, when you go off on your refugee-bashing thing, I sometimes wonder why you don't post nearly as much about the vast majority of immigrants.

Ludwig,

How can I go past what Bronwyn said.

Do you really think that a Liberal govt would significantly increase O/S aid to where it's needed? Have a good look at the history. Ms Bishop is playing politics trying to tap into the low level racism in this country.

I'd like to see the Libs policy commitments in in these areas. Not airy fairy ("non core promises") but real thought out options. Get their think tanks to do something useful for a change like solutions.

And while I'm about it the LABOR govt (note my words, not Kevin Rudd)
should get their act together too and start planning.
Like most western governments Aust's percentage of o/s aid as part of GDP is behind others and not well focused.

Dear Ludwig,

I'm not with you on this one.

According to Malcolm Fraser,

"Seventy-one countries accept refugees and
asylum seekers. Of the 71, Australia is
ranked 32nd. On a per capita basis, we are
ranked 38th... Tanzania hosts one refugee
for every 76 Tanzanians. Britain hosts one
for every 530 Britons. Australia hosts one
refugee for every 1,583 Australians..."

The Libs are claiming we're being swamped
by hordes of boat people. That's not true.

While Europe takes in asylum seekers by the
hundreds of thousands, by contrast we take in
less than 5,000. Iran and Pakistan each host
more than one million refugees. The real burden
of assisting refugees is borne by developing
countries, certainly not Australia.

Malcolm Fraser says:

"False claims about asylum seekers have
been made over a number of years. They have
created an uncharitable and harsh view of asylum
seekers in the minds of many Australians. They have
not been challenged...
The rhetoric of border protection is rhetoric
unrelated to the reality..."