Shadow minister,

I think you'll find that the number of refugees willing to shell out 20k and risk their lives and those of their families to get to Australia, only to be sent to Malaysia and the back of the queue, will be extremely limited.

This solution has the potential to dry up the flow of illegal boat arrivals. As things currently stand, arriving in Australia by boat is an almost certain method of achieving permanent residence. If arriving by boat makes you A LOT LESS likely to receive permanent residence than if you were going through the correct procedure in a country near you homeland, why would anyone persist in trying? And since the malaysians don't need to provide five star accomodation and won't tolerate the endless court challenges, and rioting etc, it is far more likely refugees will stay in camps as near to their home countries as they can. Which is what the UNHCR advises is the best policy for all concerned.

Excellent

Now that the issue of what to do with the minority of refugees, we can move on to solving the problem of the many, the thousands seeking refuge who arrive by plane.

Ammonite and csteele,
I don't know why you blokes are so ignorant about this issue.

There are some arrivals by plane without valid visas and they are sent back ASAP. Some, not many, arrive with valid visas and apply for asylumn. The success rate for these is very low, about 30% I think, and if unsuccessfull are expected to depart when their visa expires, same as other visa holders. See DIAC website.

The success rate for those applying for asylumn in overseas locations,run by the UN, is also very low. If we here cannot establish their identity and their nationality then no other country will take them back, so it is far easier for us to take them in, that is why there is over 90% success rate for illegal boat people who destroy their docs.

While it hurts Shadow Minister[ Still being one sided] is not far from truth here.
I would think if Gillard said every refugee would be returned home he would disagree with her still.
But here are the facts.
5 for 1 maybe.
That is this deal, we are to thank her for, we get 4.000 from Malaysia, some have been there 4 years, some will not get here for 4 more.
We give the next say 7 boat loads,800, no more.
Now that will take two years, yes SM knows and understands the last half of that number will be a very much more time in coming.
But come they will.
OF those 800 how many will be approved to come here in the end, any bets not one? no lets be honest it could be 800.
Our temporary Prime Minister wants us to say well she did it,stopped the boats.
Post say 2012 how many boat people will come?
Why is she unable to say, gee we got this wrong, sorry ocker we done a shocka.
Open, the Howard era camps, let it be known we reserve ALL FUTURE refugee positions for those in camps over seas.
Simple.
Now here is my country and my party's future, if Gillard acts to stop the growth of the greens, not to put ALP policy's in place she,and the greens condemn Australia to two decades of conservative rule.
The fool behind this policy has his finger prints, or is it hers, all over some truly stupid ones we are still paying for.
ALP go down fighting with good policy not gutless back downs.

The 800 that are sent to Malaysia will be going to the end of a 90,000 queue.

We will be taking 1000 per year of those already assessed for four years.

This announcement is only the first step of a new policy.

I would say that some agreement would need to be made with Indonesia to take a number of their refugees that have been cleared for resettlement.

Indonesia would have to agree that any that attempted to come by boat would be accepted back.

We already take 14,000 refugees a year. The new people we commit to take will form a small part of the 14,000.

Flo I admire and understand your loyalty.
But I think few will buy it, in the end this policy will cost votes not earn them.
First, those who will go green because of it, a minority but votes still.
A second impact is about to harm the ALP, badly.
We have been all over the shop on the issue, seen to be weak on those who set fire to a bout, rioted in two centers,hunger strikes and more.
Many Australians WHO HAVE NEVER VOTED CONSERVATIVE are about to.
Flo only A very minor few ever get sent home.
I will one day be proved quite right, in saying if we get tough on boat people we will only be one, off most country's about to act.
Even the UN will enforce tougher policy's in future.
If a referendum was held today this country would vote for harsher controls.
Short term, first exports of our problem will stop boats, but watch after we swap 800 for 4.000.
Weakness is visible to smugglers too they can wait.