The oposition has frustrations to be acted out at any cost, to Australia. A dangerous situation. There is no telling what Abbott and his tribe are willing to do. This puts Australia in a very awkward position. Maybe the greens would come to the party in exchange for gay configurations.

Banjo,

Excerpt, Chapter 3:

>> An asylum seeker is someone who is seeking international protection but who may not necessarily be found to be a refugee.

A refugee is someone who satisfies the grounds provided under the Refugees Convention.

There is no offence under Australian law that criminalises the act of arriving in Australia or the seeking of asylum without a valid visa.

[ Repeating, for Banjo’s edification: There is no offence under Australian law that criminalises the act of arriving in Australia or the seeking of asylum without a valid visa.

Ergo - it is not unlawful or illegal to be an asylum seeker ]

Irregular maritime arrivals (boat people) who are processed in Australia first have their claims considered (known as a refugee status determination or RSD) and, if found to be a refugee and subject to the Minister’s approval, are then eligible to apply for a Protection visa. <<

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/refugee/ref-hum-issues/pdf/refugee-humanitarian-issues-june11.pdf

Banjo, you obviously don’t practice what you preach - you just blow smoke.

Oh yeah, I agree with Minister Bowen (as you apparently do too) - if an asylum seeker breaks Australian Law while being assessed for refugee status, well - let's just say it doesn't help their prospects.

bonnet,
You had better check again.

All non citizens that enter Australia require a valid visa. It is unlawful to enter without a valid visa. That is purely and simply why the boat arrivals are illegal. Again that is the only reason we can detain them. We cannot, and have no desire to, detain persons with a valid visa.

Persons arriving by air without a proper visa are detained and returned to their place of departure ASAP, usually within 72 hours.If such persons apply for asylum they are detained until the application is processed.
Persons with a valid visa that apply for asylum are free to go about their business while their application is being processed.

It is all in the DIAC website.

All this has been made known here for years, but some advocates of the boat arrivals continue to claim, wrongly, that it is legal for them to arrive. It is just a ruse to make the illegals appear better than the shonks they are.

As an ALP member and activist my views on this issue will alway bring conflict.
These are those views.
This generation of boat people, unlike the Asian one in the 70,sand 80,s is unwelcome by more who matter.
All very well to speak of Labors platform.
Of the humanity issues.
We must however confront these truths.
John Howard retained government on this single issue.
Labor can find its self in opposition on this issue.
Again and again I hear the word refugee, but see fees as high as $20.000 paid, and an average of $10.000 to come here.
We the left of center saw two massive tragic events deaths at sea hundreds of them and pilloried Howard for them.
Labor has had one we know of.
Consider this, Greens voters are fixed not changing sides Labor is not going to win the next,maybe next two elections.
Conservatives will go very close to controlling the senate in a second double dissolution election.
They will force that election, we should have but lacked the guts, within a year of first taking office.
Malaysia had every chance o working/reducing Labors loss to come.
It is insanity! to stand forever on a minority position that can never win.
And as a result destroy the very thing you claim to defend.

Dear Banjo,

Not true.

The following website gives the correct answer to the
question, "Are asylum seekers illegal?":

http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/BN/sp/Asylumfacts.htm#_T0c299011016

SPQR said "Apologies, my previous comment was aimed purely at Is Mise (& his favorite cause), & is to be read in the context of Is Mise's preceding (baseless & ridiculous) quip "that's only the ones that weren't shot." ".

There is a lot of evidence that Tamil refugees have been shot trying to get to India from Sri Lanka as well as Tamil Nadu (Indian) fishermen being shot by the Sri Lankan Navy, possibly in mistake for Sri Lankan Tamils but more likely to deter them from helping the refugees. One of the reasons for SR Tamils undertaking the longer journey to Australia is that it is less hazardous as the SR Navy operates mostly in the Gulf of Manar and the Palk Strait (between India and Sri Lanka).

India has repeatedly protested against the actions of the Sri Lankan Navy and there have been confrontations at sea but, as yet, no battles.