Hi all, is is actually well known that Tony Abbott's father was fleeing the Second World War, arriving in Australia as a 16 years old in 1940? Julia Gillard came to Australia as a child because her parents found the warmer climate suitable for her, to help her to recover from bronchopneumonia. (for bot see Wikipedia) Does it say anything about the character of these people that they are on "stop the boat" campaigns and run "stop the boat" politics? The latest step, legislation to excise Australia's mainland from the migration zone, is in clear breach of the Refugee Convention and the Declaration of the Human Rights. "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution." The declaration was proclaimed in 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, chaired by the Australian Herbert Vere Evatt. Sorry, I don't get these politics out of my brain. 10 years after Tampa, and nothing has changed. Every week another twist in this sorry story. How long do we run this race to the bottom? That's where we are, in the eyes of the UN High Commisioner for Refugees. German newspapers believe we are the worst in the Western world, in this regard. Whether FAZ (considered as the leading serious conservative paper), Sueddeutsche (moderate left-leaning) or tageszeitung(left), they all apalled by our refugee policies. I just heard one comment by a Swiss journalist, to find here: http://www.drs.ch/www/de/drs/sendungen/rendez-vous/2753.bt10247056.html Interesting. what he has to say about the reasons why Australians have such a problem with refugees. First, it mentions the influence of the highly monopolist press. "It leaves a mark if you get told for 10, 20 years who bad the situation is." Isn't time to reclaim the national debate to return to meaningful politics? Here is my alternate policy: Increase our official intake (as we do:-). The numbers of refugees in Malaysia and Indonesia aren't that high that we get flooded tomorrow. Support Malaysia, e.g. to sign the Convention. They are thinking of it. If we take a fair share it helps them to deal with their intake. Negotiate on lines as: "we take one refugee, you take one refugee", to resettle them (not leaving them without papers or in pratically infinite detention). It is sharing the load. Financially the politics in place are a disaster. Detention centres are expensive. We could use the money in better ways. If people arrive we give them a "social year" in a camp while they are being assessed. There are areas that could do with initial government support to establish a self-efficient economy, to attract more people, to prevent country towns and regions to die. Let the refugees build their own infrastructure, with support from local business, so they learn a trade, learning the language and try to grasp what Australian society is made of. You could give them regional visas for the next three years. This allows them to establish themselfs in regional Australia, developing the country. We already offer this programm to skilled workers that arrive under the points system, I believe. (If they fail the mark but are slighly below they are allowed to work outside metropolitean areas). I could imagine that would get support. From the local people who would profit from the boost in their local economy, as well as from the wider public. I guess many people would consider it fair, because the refugees start with a contribution. It takes away fears - there is sufficient time to screen the arriving. And it gives refugees a start in the country, a way of settling in, to keep themself busy and having a future to look forward too. I guess the most would not mind. They had to endure so many things - they would do it happily if the prize for freedom and safety is a year's work. It may be not perfect but human and a starting point, I believe. Is that so hard to come up with something better than twisting the truth until there is nothing left? Regards Peter