Jardine, in your opening post, you wrote:

<< I would be interested in people’s opinions whether the government should process refugee cases onshore or offshore? >>

Offshore. Entirely. As per Howard’s policy.

We need to CLOSE DOWN onshore asylum seeking, regain complete control of our borders and complete control of our refugee programs.

There is confusing terminology here. We’ve got onshore and offshore processing and then we’ve got the entirely different onshore and offshore refugee categories.

Offshore refugees, which are a part of our formal immigration program, should be the ONLY source of refugees that we accommodate.

Onshore asylum seeking and hence onshore refugees, need to be relegated to history, as Howard did, and then Rudd undid!!

So we need offshore processing, as per Howard, as a fundamental part of the deterrence factor to people making the perilous journey to our shores…. or our waters.

Banjo I hope we are still mates.
But confirm we think very differently on some issues.
Give me a break on this one, hear me out then judge.
I am not pumping up my party,s rubber boat here, just showing my truth.
It costs these folk about $10.000 to get here.
Now stay calm, do not get as some do so heated they become just ranters.
REGIONAL SOLUTION!
Indonesia, and Malaysia, both want and end to boat people, do we agree?
In sending what is meant to be every arrival back.
Straight back, even if the figure becomes 80.000, surely you agree an end is in sight, they will stop coming?
Give me Banjo, an in depth way Abbott can or will stop them?
PLEASE consider, will he truly risk damaging what John Howard and previous Labor leaders started? our relation ship with these two country,s?
Mate swallow the anti Labor anger, do not let it blind you, it will not blind Abbott, once in government he WILL STOP THE BOATS, probably by using this plan.
It seems to be the only answer on the table.
Can my fellow posters contribute their answers if not this one, remember we are an international site, some will contribute, in the past have, the idea we sink them.
To those over seas readers we are not such a nation, but we are sick of being used by folk who on being settled here stay separate and at times demand we change to fit them.

Belly,
You and I agree on some issues and differ on some, to me that is normal. We agree on the dubious character of the 'illegals' and want them stopped but simply dissagree on how to go about that. You appear hell bent on the Malaysia scheme, while I can see major problems there.
As i understand it, the scheme was to allow the 800 to be free in Malaysia, not in detention, and that will not work. You are aware that some rejected here have tried again, some may even have tried more than twice. So, as they came to Malaysia firstly by air and paid to get to Indonesia, they will simply do that again, unless locked up.

This current government has simply given up any pretence of stopping the illegals since the court rulled on Malaysia. but as I pointed out there are other measure we can take that should convince them that there is nothing to gain by coming here.

I am angry and disgusted that this saga goes on and on and we keep paying out heaps and let these gate crashers in. Not to mention the lawyers cashing in. One could even claim the government wants the illegals to come and cares not if some die on the way.

I think you would also agree that this current government deserves to be tossed out on this issue alone. It has been a complete stuff up.

Belly.
I forgot to add that i do not think either Malaysia or Indonesia care much whether the illegls are stopped or not.

In fact it helps their economies as the illegals bring money into the country and must pay for accomodation and food, whilst waiting for a boat. Don't forget the fares and bribes given to get from Malaysia to Indonesia. How many in these countries are 'on the take'?

Bribery and corruption is rife throughout Asia, so many will not put much effort into stopping the trade.

Belly old mate, while Indonesia, and Malaysia continue aiding people smugglers in transiting any the garbage that washes up on their shores, to Oz as boat people, I'm afraid any relationship we have with these two countries is not worth a pinch of you know what.

That they are only too pleased to throw this rubbish at us is quite obvious.

Now here's an idea. These boat people must like boats. Lets give them their own boat city.

Every boat to arrive, after removing all fuels, should be towed, complete with passengers & crew, [shackled if necessary to prevent damage to the boats], to a point well out in the Indian Ocean. There they should be chained together, & LEFT. Kindness would require a few wind generators, & solar cells be left for them to install as they desire.

All future boats, their crews & passengers, to be added to the boat city.

Very soon they would have their own country, with a such huge rate of growth, they would probably become the envy of economists the world over. God, with any luck, many of our economists would see this success story, & immigrate to it. A huge double win for us, if ever there was one.

With any luck, soon the new crop of boat people would be calling for our navy to tow them there directly, with no need to come to Oz to pass "GO" on the way.

I reserve the movie rights, & expect to use Kevin Costner as adviser, with his experience in Water World. Who knows, perhaps truth is stranger than fiction.

I still want to know what is preventing the supporters of 'asylum seekers' from taking advantage of the feckless Gillard/Greens government's offer of home assistance $$.

Daily the 'Progressive' urgers for throwing open the doors to all comers claim that 'asylum seekers' are jolly nice young men (they are mainly young men!) who are superior in work ethic, morally too, to the Oz population -which is over 30% from non-English speaking background anyhow.

So, given that a very large rump of the population is recently arrived and given the claims of the 'Progressive' Left and Greens, why have only four 'asylum seekers' been placed in private homes?

Instead the 'asylum seekers' -a politically correct description if there ever was one- have to be placed in new rentals, hotels and in student accommodation at universities. That last mentioned was kept secret by the government until a serious sex crime was committed against a student. The Left were silent, but had a NRL footballer committed the same crime, the Left and feminists would be scorching the paint off the walls in protest.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/second-university-attack-bid/story-e6freuy9-1226587237381

The simple explanation is that the Left, who consider themselves morally superior to the average citizen, don't believe their own B.S. either. They want others to pay for their consciences (and poor judgement). As for the Greens, any protest is a good protest. Even if it results in more lives being lost at sea.