It's now getting so comical it's crazy. The xenophobes have REALLY, REALLY, REALLY come out of the closet tonight.

If you believe the xenophobes there's ONE MILLION boat people on the way (Shadow Minister) and I'm a MURDERER (Banjo) and women with "motherly instincts" can't debate to the standard of men (Yabby).

Folks, this is the standard of people we've been communicating with here. These are examples of the MINORITY of Australians who fear they'll lose control over their destiny because of boat people.

The MAJORITY of Australians are NOT like that. They are cosmopolitan, intelligent, informed, educated and seek solutions instead of blame when things don't go as they wish.

Gee TZ you are certainly getting yourself all worked up there aren't you? You speak of all the supposed "xenophobes" on this site.
Are they all ignorant xenophobes because they don't agree with you?

All I will say is that surely we must discourage anyone making the perilous journey across the sea to our shores? The many asylum seekers who have died at sea should be the last to lose their lives this way.

I don't believe anyone is being xenophobic by encouraging people to take a safer path to seek asylum.

Shadow Minister

<< The new detention protocol determines that asylum-seekers should be released once they're determined not to be a security threat, which is likely to occur before their asylum status is determined. >>

No it's not. What are you on about? Yes, they have health and security checks done first, but they dont leave Christmas Island until they've been verified as bonafide refugees.

<< What is to keep them from the mainland? Don't just tell me it can't happen, tell me why. >>

Once they've been proven to be genuine refugees, yes, they receive permanent protection visas and resettle on the mainland. That is the purpose of seeking asylum. You might prefer them to live in endless limbo on three-year Temporary Protection Visas and never be able to obtain a decent job and plan their lives, but that has been clearly demonstrated to be a policy failure. Not only do the refugees themselves suffer enormously as a result, but they fail to contribute to the wealth and well-being of this nation in the way they very much want to and are invariably capable of.

Yabby

<< Here is your quote once again Bronnie, from the 23rd April: *I learnt long ago that Yabby's heart is well and truly ruled by his head. And of course he thinks the reverse of the likes of you and me.* >>

Thanks for the quote. As I thought, it's full context clearly shows you've been misrepresenting my words. Contrary to your November 4 post, I have NEVER stated that my heart rules my head. What I said was that YOU think that is the case. There's a big difference, and you know it. :)

Horus

<< Last time on a different thread your claimed oversight –what's the excuse this time? >>

I'm not making excuses. I made a mistake. Big deal. I've made post after post here of substantive on-topic debate. You've hung around on the sidelines, contributing little of substance yourself, but ready to pounce on any slip-up of mine, no matter how slight. So you've found a few. Bully for you.

Oh dear me suze, nice "spin" there. Your rather silly "loaded" question full of spin "Are they all ignorant xenophobes because they don't agree with you" shows precisely where you're coming from: You can do a lot better than that.

People like Banjo and Shadow Minister are xenophobes because they think we're threatened by FLOODS of refugee boat people. Shadow Minister has in just several pages upped his figures from 10s of thousands to ONE MILLION. They don't post as they do because of a "genuine" concern for boat people ....... HECK they couldn't give a damn about boat people. They want boat people THERE and not HERE. Their concern for deaths is utterly disingenuous.......... they DON'T want boats stopped because people die, they want boats stopped because they FEAR a FLOOD of refugees.

Until the whole world takes responsibility for a combination of resettlement and homeland conflict resolution, refugees will continue to be displaced. Just as they have been for hundreds of years, just as they are now, and just as they will be for the next hundreds of years.

When people feel they have no hope, some of them will take horrible risks. But when that happens we should not treat them like animals. They should be assessed, and genuine asylum seekers treated according to our law and non genuine ones treated according to our law. HISTORICALLY, when famine/war/persecution subsides in a country the flow of desperate refugees also subsides from that country. CONFLICT RESOLUTION is VITAL to the well being of present and future refugees.

But refugees are ridiculed here on this site. They are depicted as frauds, terrorists, dishonest and nasty types of people.

They've been demonised by just a handful of bitter people on this site. Disingenuous people, using the deaths and drownings as a tool to try to gain the high moral ground, while their real motivation is simply they don't want boat people, they don't like boat people and they don't care about boat people. Utterly disingenuous.

Well not to worry, its all over now.
Did you hear the news this morning.
They have sent a message that they (the Tamils) have decided they are
going to Christmas Island.
As well the Indonesians have said the ship must either disembark or leave today.
Next time we should not help them out, they can pick up in their own area.

So you had better get on with it.
Did you get the message Kevin ?

TZ52HX,

You are getting too silly for words. I'm tired of your lies and deliberate attempts to misrepresent.

As you have no cogent argument have resorted to name calling and capital letters.

I said "So there is sufficient infrastructure to smuggle 1m people a year"

With 90 000 refugees waiting, 10s of 1000s of boat people are a real possibility.

You are so clueless as to what is happenning that you even missed the deliberate error I made in mentioning the pacific dawn instead of the Oceanic Viking.

Do you even read the news, or does it simply get in the way of your rhetoric?

In 2001 a boat sank killing about 350 asylum seekers, the coalitions answer to stop this dangerous traffic was the pacific solution which reduced the flow and loss of lives to almost nothing.

The number of people granted asylum hasn't changed, just that it is done in a safe and orderly manner.

Your unfettered sentimentality is killing people, and the blood is on your hands.

Bronwyn,

The new policy that I posted clearly states that the detainees can be released before their asylum status is determined. To release them on Aus soil they require a visa of some form.

As they have not been charged, there cannot legally be any restriction on their travel. What or who is going to stop them? If you know please tell me.

This scenario has yet to be tested, but I can definitely see it playing out as I described.