Shadow Minister, I applaud your efforts to keep this issue in the spotlight on OLO.

I share your disgust over the whole affair. It is just mind-boggling in the extreme that we have this onshore asylum seeker issue to deal with, after it had so effectively been dealt with by Howard.

Lexi, I don’t get the point of your post.

<< … tropical storms …The boat was overloaded … caused the vessel to sink … >>

Yes, but Australia’s open-door policy caused them to be there in the first place.

<< … the time is ripe to sort through the past decade's irrational policymaking and offer a more logical
set of policies … >>

Phoowey to Susan Metcalf!

Howard’s approach was eminently logical. I’d love to know Susan's (or your) ‘more logical’ policies that would bring an end to this absurd onshore asylum seeking debacle. Or is she (and you) happy for it to continue forever, and at the current or a greater rate of arrivals?

For all the detention centre riots, self-harm and other impacts on asylum seekers, the loss of people at sea is far more significant.

As SM points out:

<< … more asylum seekers have perished at sea in the last couple of years, than had come to Australia in the last 6 years of the pacific solution. >>

So while the bad impacts on detainees is significant (albeit probably nowhere near as significant as some refugee advocates would have us believe), it is far far less significant of the loss of life at sea and the effects that losing loved ones and compatriots has on the survivors.

So I reinforce the urgency of SM’s question;

<< Will Labor swallow its pride and accept the off shore processing that the coalition has offered? >>

They’ve GOT to do this, and quickly…. or else they’ll be expelled to the political wilderness at the next election, for sure.

Dear Ludwig,

The best way to answer your post is to refer you
to the following link:

http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2011/09/13/The-Pacific-Solution-was-a-fraud.aspx

The article is an interesting one from the Lowy Institute and I do suggest you read it. It becomes
quite clear that "nothing of
any substance is being offered by both parties
regarding asylum seekers. "

Bonmot,

The Malaysian solution slowed the boats from 600pm to 250pm. It did not stop them. What Labor conveniently forgets is that the Malaysian solution had an end point of 800, which would have been filled in 10 weeks.

Secondly I am surprised that you are happy to send unaccompanied children to Malaysia where they have no protection from the militia and can be beaten at a whim. (which is why the high court rejected it)

The Coalition has offered to amend the legislation to allow the deportation to 148 signatory countries, and the Labor immigration minister at the time recommended to Juliar that they accept it.

Lexi's Link to an article in the Interpreter by Michael Clarke is not representative of the Lowy institute, just an opinion piece in one of their magazines. It just shows how desperate Lexi is.

Susan Metcalfe's claim that " let's not forget that detention
centre riots, self-harm, and tabloid sensationalism were just
as prevalent during the Coalition's last spell in government." is vacuous, as during the last 5 years of the pacific solution there were only a handful of boat people in detention (4 in Nov 2007).

The maths is simple in the last 6 years of the Pacific solution about 300 people risked their lives on boats, in the last 3 years under labor the figure is over 14000.

Labor's on shore processing is like offering free candy to school children to cross a busy road.

I had no intention, of being low enough to blame Abbott.
Yes he, the greens, and a handful of Lawyers [what a dirty word that is] hold some blame.
SM knows he is twisting the truth, his party can not offer on other country's behalf a place to send migrants/refugees.
Malaysia has done a deal.
Ludwig, mate, it would stop the boats!
We must stop them!
ABC TV today re run old doco filmed in Indonesia, talking to those about to come here by boat.
Would you believe one said this *Australia has no right to stop us*
We must understand, known death toll for those lost at sea is very big, unknown likely to be more, on its own.
Arjay? when did we bomb Iran/Pakistan/Ceylon?
Shadow Minister,I must maintain my calm, you feed on the NATURAL results of that post.
Know bloke if you are ever on fire it will not be me coming to your aid.
Life in prison, for every smuggler no release, murder charges for this event.
And Australian Citizens living off the blood should be made to leave and serve that sentence in Indonesia.

Here is a quote from an ex Labor leader.

Onshore processing is killing boatpeople, says Mark Latham

FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham has blamed "so-called compassionate" politicians who support onshore processing for the deaths of asylum-seekers at sea.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/onshore-processing-is-killing-boatpeople-says-mark-latham/story-fn9hm1gu-1226224975481

Labor is not to blame....by sue...
People smugglers, their rickety boats, and asylum seekers themselves are to blame.......and thats the facts jack. The Australian Government has no head to hang low, and the people know it.

Its also being found by my research, that most that call themselves true asylum seekers are not even close to the fact.

We as a small population, must see these people as invaders, and true people in need.

If they die, its by there own stupidity or sleaze in as I like to call them.

They know this country is weak and soft, with the tear's in the eyes of humanity......and some say, it could be the end of our country as we know it.

Look into future, and I do share a small amount with jay of, but as I have pointed out, head counts do matter very much considering the amount of food production and space, not to mention the......(they will be good workers just like the Mexicans to the US.

Australian business people know the advantages to this, and it just goes what low tactics that we adopt for the US.


CACTUS