The Saturday Age, January 18th 2014
asks the question, "Have We Lost Our Bearings Entirely?"

"The government had issued an unconditional apology to
Indonesia after admitting Australian vessels intruded
into their waters while dealing with asylum seeker boats.
These intrusions occurred not once or twice, mind you,
but several times, and included more than one vessel.
Australians are entitled to ask why and how this happened
and they are entitled to genuine answers as opposed to the
stonewalling, secrecy, and obfuscation that has become the
hallmark of the Abbott government."

"Mr Morrison says the intrusions were unintentional and in
breach of government policy. Quite simply that suggests
incompetence on a level that we find bewildering or it
lacks credibility. Here we are chest-thumping about a boat
interception and deterrence strategy labelled "Operation
Sovereign Borders" and we can't even get our own bearings.
These illegal intrusions are the inevitable result of trying
to execute a flawed policy of turning back, and now towing
back, boats."

Lietenant-General Angus Campbell, who is in charge of
Operation Sovereign Borders, says he is "very comfortable
there are active controls to ensure that our vessels do
not cause such mistakes or have such mistakes in future."
But that does not explain why it occurred in the first
place. Surely there are already "active controls" to ensure
all vessels on border duties know exactly where they are
at all times."

General Campbell says he believes the errors were innocent,
though he will not venture how they occurred. The Age does
not like to speculate either, General. We believe it is
better to have accurate answers, and that Australians
deserve to hear them swiftly. We also believe in accountability.
Multiple intrusions suggest a systemic issue is at play.
We find it hard to believe it is due to poor map-reading
skills. It is fair, however, to ask whether by cloaking
the boat deterrence strategy in a militaristic guise
and, as Prime Minister Ton Abbotthas done, equating it in
being a war footing, the effect has been to vest captains with
implicit authority to do whatever they consider necessary."

Foxy and steele,
Out of curiosity, I looked at the DIAC website and looks like they are doing an update. That does not mean it will be easier or better in future. The info was easily found last I looked.

How ever I did quickly find the following item which may satisfy most people. Until the update on the website is completed, I suggest that you look up the Immigration Act and any other Acts to try and verify your claim that entry to Aus is lawful without a valid visa. You are the ones claiming they are not breaking any laws.

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/82detention.htm

Dear spindoc,

Don't you ever look at what you have written before you post it?

You wrote;

“Mmmm, don’t we just love the “intelligentsia”?”

Then immediately followed it with;

“Whilst motivation and purpose are a valuable litmus test in assessing ideologues, the stronger pointers are always the moral/value proposition of topic socialization.”

Lol. Compared to my petty offerings you are the master.

What I do find a little more sobering is the fact that despite 'individual' basically accusing members of our armed forces of treason (yes, working to destabilise one's government while serving in our military would be a treasonous act) and 'jayb' accusing members of forcing those under their command to lie to the Australian people, you completely ignore them and go after me.

It is hard to escape the conclusion that you really don't give two hoots about the welfare of our service men and women if a political point can be scored and that you really are not the staunch defender of them come hell or high water that you would have us believe.

Perhaps I'm wrong, who knows.

Cont...

Cont...

Let's now look at the reality. We have an unarmed refugee boat full of desperate people and their families, in what must be assumed to be a not negligible danger of capsizing and sinking, being stopped by a heavily armed Australian naval vessel with the resources of a highly capable military force behind it. During it's boarding by highly trained and well armed sailors it is alleged some mistreatment may have occurred. This is to be rightfully investigated with the full cooperation of the navy.

A classic trick of the right is to turn the powerful into victims which you have striven to do in this thread with the words those who “take a bullet for us are treated so badly”.

Essentially you have attempted to take a thread about the alleged mistreatment of refugees and divert any turn it into one about the supposed mistreatment of our service personnel.

After being called out on it you then have decided to up the ante by referring to them as 'defenceless' and bring in 'their families'.

I mean I have to say it is a pretty slick job. So the 'defenceless' and the 'mistreated' with 'their families' are no longer the refugees but our naval personnel.

And just to put the icing on the cake you wish me happy Australia Day.

Whew! Masterful.

As to my own treatment of rhetoric. Whenever it is employed within a thread I have little compunction attempting to return it. The easiest way to get me to desist if that was really what you wanted is to stop employing it so compulsively yourself, but we know that will never happen. Yet I am just a novice compared to you.

Perhaps I need to take your lead and shed any semblance of guilt.

Steelie: Let's now look at the reality.

Yours or ours?

Steelie: We have an unarmed refugee boat full of desperate people and their families, in what must be assumed to be a not negligible danger of capsizing and sinking, being stopped by a heavily armed Australian naval vessel with the resources of a highly capable military force behind it.

Wow, if that's not emotive claptrap I don't know what is. Are you saying that our Navel personnel are presumed guilty because you assume all Armed Forces are guilty of barbarity.

That maybe true in Islamic Countries as a matter of course, E.g. Syria, even now, but the West has grown out of that since WW11. Yes their are isolated incidences & they are dealt with harshly.

Steelie: 'jayb' accusing members of forcing those under their command to lie to the Australian people,

Apparently they were ordered to by the Government. I notice you said, ""Whatever you hear - the asylum seekers did not throw their children overboard," one man was reportedly told.”

What I was told was that the sea cocks were opened after the children had been thrown overboard in order to force their transfer. I would believe a member of the Navy that was their than anything you saw on one of your biased Web Sites. I can tell you that these Navel Personnel were very angry about being told lie. Moral goes down when that happens & their moral was down.

I hope you didn't watch that link. I forbid you too.

SteelReedux,
you're the one committing treson by denying reality thus exposing not only the likes of yourself but ALL of us to a very worrying future.
You are so ignorant that it hurts but you of course are oblivious to the pain, you're already too numbed.
For your information, although I know I'm wasting my time, those unarmed refugees are the bearers of tomorrow's force of mayhem within Australia.
Haven't you heard of silent invasions without a shot being fired ? Those eying this country for takeover have more patience in achieving their goal. They're counting on mutts like you not being able to see the underlying message & hence their continued & unabating heading towards Australia. You & the likes of you are the real traitors of Australia. You think you're acting on compassionate grounds, no mate, you're acting on gross stupidity & ignorance.