Paul1405,

You ducked the question.

Why did Julia Gillard, Australia's most prolific tourist, a woman who has scattered many millions of taxpayers dollars in foreign aid whether asked for or not, left it to the final weeks before an election to hitch her butt to Indonesia to discuss this very important subject?

Beach person this is my answer not Gillards. Because she is very slow on the uptake and has finally realised what THE GREENS have been advocating for yonks. The only way to solve the asylum seeker issue is at the highest diplomatic levels. The problem will never be solved by locking these people in a closet (that's in some other third world countries closet, like PNG). Nor will it be solved with the 'gun boat' approach that some advocate, make no mistake Abbotts "turn the boats around" slogan is only a variation on the 19th century 'gun boat' policy of Britain.
Imagine the hew and cry, and gnashing of teeth that would be going on if a boat load of Americans were to drown off our shores, after we towed there into the middle of the Pacific and told them to "GET" You couldn't get it off the front pages for weeks.
At the end of the day these people are no different from you and I, they want nothing more than a better life for themselves and their families. Unfortunately no matter how much they would deny it, our political leaders, like many of us, still see these people as inferior, their lives are of lesser value than ours.

"Bring back capital punishment" while ever we have those that advocate a simplistic draconian approach to crime our prisons will be bulging. Crime will continue at an alarming rate. the viscous cycle will continue. Of a population of about 22m about 0.1%, or around 22.000 people are in jail, 70% of prison inmates in Australia have been in jail before, Aboriginals are 14 times more likely to find themselves in prison than non indigenous people and 33% are serving a sentence of less than 2 years. All over the western world the socio-economically disadvantaged will be more likely to find themselves in prison than the general community.
For some, like welfare dependency, jail is part of life, part of the vicious circle. In many cases the answer is prevention not incarceration. Prevention of lesser crime, the 33% and more of inmates and those young people who are on a road to jail, will only be achieved through social equality leading to opportunity, not through some "lock em' up, and throw away the key." approach.

Sorry about that put it in the wrong thread. crap happens

I am always amused by the rantings of those extolling the horrors of turning the boats around. The reality is the Indonesian boat, the passengers, and the Indonesian crew simply find themselves exactly where they were a few days earlier.

Since Labor opened the borders, Indonesia has been swamped with tens of thousands of economic refugees waiting for a place on a boat. Severe disincentives are required to stop further thousands dying on the high seas. The prospect of handing thousands over to the human traffickers only to find themselves where they started is a powerful disincentive.

When Juliar has been banished to obscurity, Tony Abbott can begin genuine discussions with the Indonesians. Probably to facilitate the turning of the boats and the live cattle exports.

I like the linking of asylum seekers with live cattle.
SM can you explain why your man Abbott when given the opportunity last October to raise his "turn back the boats" policy with the Indonesian President failed to do so? Possibly didn't have Archy Pell's clearance, I can't think of any other reason, can you.
I am concerned that an Abbott led government, like all post WWII Conservatives governments in Australia, will embrace a foreign policy which is nothing more than being a sycophant of the United States.
If Obama needs an adulating ferret do you think Tony will oblige? I'm sure he will. p/s Your party is not alone in sucking up to the US, with the exception of the Whitlam Government, Labor have been just as sycophantic.