SPQR,
The 25,000 figure is offered as an immediate step we can take to help relieve the asylum seeker problem.
If the 'Norwegian Epic' should dock in Darwin Harbor with 5,000 Scandinavian asylum seekers on board I'll simply hand the 'problem' to the Minister for Population Control, The Right Honorable Mr Spqr.

Paul,
I expected a lot more from you…

You have 5,000 pleading, traumatized, asylum seekers in port Darwin.
They are terrified they will be rejected …if they are sent back they fear they will all be killed.
And all you can say is you would ( yes minister like) pass it onto the appropriate minister!

For God sake man, the whole world is watching.
This threatens our reputation as a caring, compassionate nation …it threatens our trade relations, the rest of Asia might refuse to trade with us …not to mention what it might do for your aspirations for a cushy UN seat after your primeministership.

You are the PM show some *LEADERSHIP* -- –what would you do?
(That other “great” Paul PM [Keating] never shirked taking a lead)

Come on, Paul, what would Green PM(Green in affiliation, not in experience!) do

SPQR,

We could apply the 'final solution' as demanded by some red necks. Or we could meet our humanitarian and legal obligations. I know these people are not white, do not speak the same language as most of us, not even of the same cultural background, but still, I know its hard to believe, maybe we will just have to do the right thing. What would YOU do?
The world wide problem of refugees is not going to go away in the short term no matter how many islands in the Pacific with big holes in them we find to stick people in.

Paul,

<< I know these people are not white, do not speak the same language as most of us, not even of the same cultural background,>>

Who mentioned race?
They are described as “asylum seekers’ in my little conundrum.

Now tell us what would you do with the 5000 at port Darwin ?

But just for your edification (if that is possible).
Practically all of our recent “asylum seekers” are in fact “white”.
Most southern Asians are Caucasians –sorry to overturn your fantasies!

<<What would YOU do?>>

Whoopie! …me a PM.

The first thing I would do would to ask Craig Thompson if I could borrow his little black book and credit card.

But in regard to the abovementioned boatload. I would grant none of them permanent asylum in OZ.
And I would prosecute the crew whatever their *purported age*.

I wonder how the SPQR's of this world would react if a boatload of white bowler-hatted middle-class British refugees washed up on our shores?

Regarding Craig Thomson...looks like the mainstream media is picking up the investigation concerning Kathy Jackson and the HSU, and the raising of "disturbing" allegations by Independent Australia.

http://abc.net.au/news/2012-06-26/jacksons-at-centre-of-hsu-allegations/4093190

Predictably, Poirot, throws in retort No. 223 from the refugee activists handbook: << I wonder how the SPQR's of this world would react if a boatload of white bowler-hatted middle-class British refugees washed up on our shores?>>

If she had cared to look at my little scenario. I didn’t in anyway identify race. It spoke only of “asylum seekers”.
Most refugee activists (aka concerned humanitarians, or pollyanna's ) seem to have this Pavlovian conditioned response whereby at any mention of opposition to unlimited immigration they begin to salivate and start alluding to white supremacism.

Paul tells us that the Greens will raise the intake to 25,000.
But as has been well illustrated, above.
If an EXTRA 5000 , 50,000 or even 500,000 arrive he, and his party, are incapable of saying --“ENOUGH” -- “NO MORE”.

Which is a quick recipe for converting Sydney into a poorer version Calcutta.