Cast your minds back to 08 and the GFC.

Now, look at where we were then, $20 billion in the bank, where we are today, $300 billion in the red AND COUNTING, then take away the mining boom that this government has enjoyed.

Assuming we can stop the boats, HUGE ASK with no money, how on earth are we ever going to repay that HUGE DEBT and maintain a lifestyle that resembles something of what we have been accustomed to.

Scary stuff hey!

REhctub, I don't think we will be able to maintain the current lifestyle.
We will however if government acknowledges the problem and uses our
quite considerable existing energy resources for our benefit instead
of China & Japan's benefit then we will be able to extend our present
economy while building the new energy regime using our fossil fuels.

If we exhaust our fossil fuels before we build the new energy system
we will suffer collapse. It doesn't take a genius to see the signals
in the world economy.
Once the US's shale starts its decline their recent growth surge will disappear with it.

I'm certain stopping the boats is quite do-able albeit not by way of the amateurish efforts of ALP / LNP. First thing needed is official recognition of the difference between genuine migrants & opportunists. Second is admission of the involvement of snouts with ulterior motives, particularly lawyers & charities. Third is the establishment of measures capable of identifying, locating, and repelling invaders. This is clearly an involved process with international maritime law being only one of several 'gotchas'. Finally, Australia needs to regain total control of policy and not simply kow-tow to to United Nations and other possibly well-meaning but nevertheless deluded do-gooders. Repaying international debt, whatever it is but probably somewhat higher than $300 billion) probably won't be the issue it would otherwise be if / when the world economy inevitably crashes.

I saw someone from the labour party on lateline stating how we just
cannot send the boats back to Indonesia.
Neither side was awake, they are Indonesian vessels and Indonesia
cannot refuse entry to Indonesian vessels.

Simple as that !

What they do with the passengers, well that is up ro the vessel's owner.

Bazz

As I understand the situation, maritime law compels the captain of any vessel that comes to the aid of one of those semi-floating death traps to do whatever to safeguard life, presumably convention is to tow the thing to the nearest port (typically somewhere in Australia under current arrangements). I suspect no captain of an Australian Navy ship would dare do otherwise, even if gubmunt legislation said something about towing the boat back into Indonesian waters. If this is essentially correct, stopping boats already underway would entail stationing half our navy just outside Indonesian waters so that the nearest ports would be Indonesian.

I fail to see any reason why we can't simply deport any already here who don't fit the 'refugee' criteria. Surely the rest would wake up after a few jumbo loads ended back from where they came. The Big Clive proposal to insist on a visa issued by DFAT in Jakarta, otherwise rack off hairy legs, is infinitely more workable than the inane ALP / LNP suggestions, furthermore its been tried and proven effective elsewhere.

We are not talking about sending back vessels that are on the point of sinking.
If they do scuttle the boat then the crew should be charged with
sinking a vessel and endangering passengers. Probably get 20 years for
that offense.
I am aware of the difficulties but it has to be done.
Flying them back to Iran/Iraq/Syria etc is difficult as they have no
passports to prove their nationality, which is why they destroy them.

The real heman thing to do would be to load them on a Hercules fly to
a remote airport in their country and push them out the back and take
off without even stopping engines.