o sung wu - Here a couple of lines about refugee legal costs.

Free legal aid for asylum seekers will cost taxpayers more than $60 million this year, an analysis shows.

Since July, $32 million has been paid to 22 law firms representing asylum seekers, News Limited reports.

On top of that, it reports running the migration review tribunal will cost $30 million as the number of unauthorised boat arrivals surges.

David Manne, the human rights lawyer who successfully led the appeal against the federal government's Malaysia solution, is also a big winner, with his Melbourne-based Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre receiving $4.13 million since his High Court victory in August.

THESE figure are a small proportion because the taxpayer is also paying the cost for the prosecution as well and the compensation that is awarded if needed.

The worst part is all this is for people that have never contributed ONE single thing to Australia and hold us in contempt with there rioters behavior when they don't get what they want.

'afternoon to you PHILLIP S...

Wow, there's a B I G quid in campaigning their causes, and advocating on behalf of these boat people ?

Yet they (the lawyers) would have us believe they do it, purely on humanitarian grounds ?

Look, nobody would deny that we, as a developed nation, should do our bit for the severely disadvantaged and indigent of our world.

Though, many might correctly argue we should've started with our very own homeless, and destitute as a priority ? Aren't a nation with compassion and values ?

But the UN with all it's foibles, run a multitude of refugee camps around the world which are literially brimming-over with very deserving people who've waited patiently for years, for resettlement into countries such as OZ.

Yet we have these 'boat people' who come to our shores and engage in conduct of a kind, calculated to deceive, in order to trick the Oz authorities as to their bona fides.

Further, it's my understanding most boat people are reasonably able-bodied and even fit.

According to a former colleague of mine, who was seconded to the United Nations, as a Special Envoy (Security), to the Refugee Camps on the border of Thailand and Cambodia.

He told me many of the refugees (of all ages), in those camps, were more often then not, infirm, sick, even terrified. Particulary those who may've fled from the clutches of the evil Pol Pot, late of the Khmer Rouge.

These 'boat people' are nothing like those he witnessed in the camps. None there could scrape together even enough Baht or Riels to buy a coffee.

Therefore, they'd never be able to pay the necessary $10,000 plus, to 'people smugglers'.

Anyway PHILLIP S, many thanks for providing me with that useful information, I had no idea how much these lawyers were paid...amazing !

Our friend DIAMONDPETE, is probably a good fellow, and believes sincerely, in his convictions.

Myself, I just wish I was less pragmatic and hard-nosed, maybe then I'd be a little less misanthropic in my old age...Oh well ?

two major facts NO ONE can deny that sway my view away from these people are.

1) 85% still on welfare after being accepted into Australia after 5 years. FACT FROM GOV.

2) 95% on most boats are men. FACT

These two point tell me something is wrong.

Minor points.
1) Indonesia and Malaysia let them in knowing full well where they are going.
2) Indonesia can't go 45km to rescue them but we can go 370km.
3)Indonesia say they can't find them but merchant ships seem to be able to find them easy.
4) Indonesia have a massive police force but can' seem to find 180 to 240 foreign people getting onto a boat.
5) Indonesia's navy is far larger than ours but they can't find anything.
6) Australia is BILLIONS in DEBT but Indonesia is in Surplus yet we give them Foreign aid.
Lastly) We have a country that is Governed by absolute incompetents and gutless people who kowtow to Indonesia.

Pericles,there was no need for the stimulus and bailouts here.Labor had a $20 billion surplus and turned this into $173 billion deficit.They wasted money on schools and batts and now you are defending them?

I think the deficit with their creative accounting will be far greater than is revealled now and we have to take your word that they inherited the super decficit if $273 billion.

It is beyond me at times why you defend this corrupt evil banking system but then again you profit from their scamming derivative system which feeds off their counterfeiting of our productivity and them expressing it as debt.

QE3 is here and even the financial markets are screaming bloody murder this time since the really big parasites will destroy the middle class too.

Keep trying Pericles,since all you have left now is derision and ad hominem.

DP, its all about priorities and if we had spare cash laying around, and our kids were fully cared for, our homeless provided with an affordable alternative and our seniors well cared for not to mention our failing health and education systems, you may just find many of us would share some of your views, but the fact is, this is not the case.

You see the tax dollar only stretches so far and, given that our collective tax dollars are expended, before one cent is forked out for the illegals, so for you to openly support these (100% BORROWED) dollars for this purpose, the way you do, simply means you don't care as much for your own people, as you do for these illegals.

Now that, in any way you care to view it, is an utter utter disgrace and something you should be utterly ashamed of, esspecially with regards to the elderly, many of whom supported you, through their taxes, prior to you becoming a wage earner yourself.

I hope you are proud of yourself.

PhillipS,
Thanks for posting that info and i hope you will post more as it comes to hand.

You will often see me refering to these 'illegals' as shonks, cheats, con artists and gate crashers, which is what they are.

I base this on the fact they have no docs on arrival, so they wish to make it as difficult as possible for us to establish their bona fides. Secondly they are willing to risk a very dangerous voyage at a price many times more than the normal air fare, so as to take most advantage of our generosity. We take the easy way out and give them permanent residence dispite knowing their stories are false.

So to answer your question in the title Labor is stupid and in denial. They refuse to take the measures necessary to stop the boats and continue to waste our money. One could also add all the other stuff ups they have undertaken in the 5 years.

This government will not even admitt they stuffed up let alone accept any responsibility for the 1000 or so deaths of the illegals uder their watch.