SPQR,

Boat arrivals, asylum seekers - grey area legally.

http://www.politifact.com.au/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jun/03/scott-morrison/asylum-seekers-arriving-boat-are-illegally-enterin/

Poirot,

You have caught the Lexi disease --the length of your hyperlink now exceeds the length of your actual comment.

No namby-pamby advocates fifty shades of grey here.

They are illegal in at least half dozen different ways:
--Destroying papers --illegal
--Telling lies to immigration --illegal
--Sabotaging boats,endangering life & limb --illegal
--Destroying facilities ---illegal
--assaulting staff & police --illegal
--conspiring with smugglers to flout the law -- --illegal

SPQR: Boat arrivals, asylum seekers - grey area legally.

You are right. It's because Laws are framed to be "Half Truths" That way the Law can be used get someone convicted & someone else off the same charge using the same Law, (precedents) providing they have the money to pay the Lawyers.

The case is usually discussed in the Magistrates Chambers well before the Trial Date as to which Precedents are used. Then at the start of the Trial they go through a ritual dance of Precedence acceptance of those Precedence's already approved. Most Convictions & Dismissals have been predestined which is usually evident in the Magistrates summing up.

All Politicians use Half Truths because, depending on which the ball falls, they can say they were right & ignore the other half of their statements. People are starting to wake up to this fact.

Some stalwarts have a long way to go in realizing that though, on all sides of the fence. Stalwarts have the notion that whatever their Party says it must be right no-mater-what, no thinking involved.

Half Truths sell papers & are exploited by the Media for sensationalism. It really doesn't matter the what or why for to the Media as long as they can create derision to increase their sales.

Spqr,

It's not illegal to seek asylum.

Full Stop.

Poirot: It's not illegal to seek asylum. Full Stop.

True, Poirot, but it has to be done legally, if it's done illegally then it's illegal. Isn't it?

So if you land somewhere and request asylum, how do you do that without crossing borders without permission?

(unless you fly in and decide to stay and request asylum - in which case you won't be sent to PNG)

Is that what you mean by legal?