Aidan,

There are some 68 million refugees across the world, mostly destitute, unable to cough up ten thousand dollars to get on a boat. Millions of those poor buggers are stuck in desert camps in Africa and the Middle East. Many would have applied for entry to Australia as part of the annual refugee quota, in the proper way, andthen sat and waited. And waited. For up to twenty years. Skint. At the mercy of criminal gangs in their camps.

There is an annual refugee quota - around twenty thousand now, I think ? Are illegal immigrants who come on boats part of that quota, or extra to it ? If they are part of the annual quota - or if you would advocate that they be part of the annual quota - does that mean that thousands of those poor destitute people in camps for ten and fifteen and now twenty years, who have applied properly to come to Australia, should be pushed back down the queue ?

None so blind as they who WILL not see the consequences of their thought-bubbles.

Joe

Bill Shorten stated:

" We cannot, we must not and we will not
permit the reopening of their trade in
human desperation and the drownings and
the irreplaceable loss of life that it
brings."

Yes Foxy & Gillard stated. There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.

Sorry Foxy, you just have to stop trusting Labor.

Dear Joe,

Surely keeping our borders secure and keeping
smugglers out of business has never meant leaving
men, women and children to languish for years and
years in indefinite detention in sub-standard
facilities and unacceptable conditions.

Most Australians agree with the policy of pursuing
regional resettlement, turning back boats where it
is safe to do so and maintaining off shore processing.
But strong, compassionate and sustainable strong
borders do not have to come at the expense of humanity.

Foxy,
It appears that, from the election results, the voters did not believe Shorten or Labors propaganda in relation to illegal immigration.

Dear Hassie,

John Howard also told us there would be no GST
and Tony Abbott broke so many promises. (No cuts
to the ABC, no cuts to the SBS, and the list goes on).
Name one political party that has not broken its promises.

Dear HenryL,

There are many reasons why Labor lost the election.
People have a variety of explanations - both simple
and complex. However we still have to wait and see what
happens next as a result - from both major parties.
There are a lot of expectations involved. Only time will
tell who succeeds and whose faith has been misplaced.
Too early to tell just yet.

cont'd ...

Labor has, as I understand it, believed in pursuing
regional resettlement, turning back boats where it
is safe to do so and maintaining offshore processing.
Their policies are very similar to those of the
Coalition. How they will or will not change under the
new Labor leadership and team, we have to wait and see.
Somehow I doubt very much whether Labor would risk
going against the wishes of the Australian voters.