they could reclassify cocos and chrismas island or put some caveat on it that it doesnt count for boat landing/ claiming refugee status and that it has to be mainland only. would give them a buffer zone and make it easier to patrol. Also might make it a bit safer as the problem is christmas island is so close ot indo
Threads like this just make me sad. We are talking about human beings. How can we turn our backs on humans that obviously need help. These people are starving, being persecuted and have a real life issues of food, water, warmth and personal safety. We have issue's of what colour tint our new board should be, which wetsuit should i buy or how can i fit a rack to hold my 4 different Stand up Paddle boards[}:)]
Do i like the boat que jumpers, no but only because I'd like to see the worst helped first and i don't think the boat people are the worst. But we need to start somewhere
How many on here sponsor over seas
My family have sponsored a little girl called Miriam since 2006 . My daughter's age and they right each other monthly and have formed a great friendship. We are just sponsoring a little boy or girl for my 8 year old son to be his friend and help. He understands the responsibilities and is prepared to go with out so that his friend will have a chance at the simple necessities of life.
I think as Australians we need to start to learn humility and compassion. Or at least teach the next generation before its too late
IMHO
If anyone would like to help (even thought it is such a small amount. A child for a child is better than no help at all. ) for about $45 a month it is a great teaching tool to help keep your kids grounded. Im happy to list up the company we sponsor through and they are desperate for all the help they can get at the moment.
Oh and to beat the people who say the money doesn't get there, i can guarantee it does and it is most appreciated.
My family have sponsored a little girl called Miriam since 2006 . My daughter's age and they right each other monthly and have formed a great friendship. We are just sponsoring a little boy or girl for my 8 year old son to be his friend and help. He understands the responsibilities and is prepared to go with out so that his friend will have a chance at the simple necessities of life. IMHO
My family have sponsored a little girl called Miriam since 2006 . My daughter's age and they right each other monthly and have formed a great friendship. We are just sponsoring a little boy or girl for my 8 year old son to be his friend and help. He understands the responsibilities and is prepared to go with out so that his friend will have a chance at the simple necessities of life. IMHO)
I thin kour effort is pittyfull at best.
SP.... I thought this was a watersports forum, not a political soapbox.
Actually its ( General Discussion )
If you have a quick look you will see discussions about Mars, gun laws ,Best songs, women, Olympics etc etc.
I don't understand how you think by putting up this post it would stir people up, seems to me there are plenty of well informed people out there willing to give there point of view across.
I now know much more about this topic than I did when I posted the question ( isn't that what its all about )
SP we are all sheep in a way. No keyboard warrior is going to state there real opinion as unless you have lived in these countries taken the boat trip snuggled next to 200 sweaty unhealthy deprived people, all your information comes from the media. That makes us all sheep as much we all wish to dismay this notion.
Only 2 reply's so far seemed to have a personnel insight into this situation.
fingerbone has put up a ? where the same people reply with the same results and the topic always ending in the same fashion, with a few new guys getting their 2cents worth, so be it. Not a bad ? Not a great ? Just a ?
I find them good reading as people always attach links and copy/paste warriors prevail.
Oh deer that makes me a sheep to 
but I'm no sheep
.
If I was to add my 2cents from what the media has feed me - especially near election time our expense on resolving and continuing our current actions will see us spending billions before anything will progress and thousands more will be lucky/die/starve/gain votes/win elections/ gain more navel training/heartache and many more topics on seabreeze, just like this one....
but I'm no sheep.
How many posters on this site are immigrants? Sounds like quite a few.
I know when my family immigrated from Zimbabwe in the 1990's the 'queue' meant a 5 year wait, with acceptance not guaranteed and in our case it was probably only because my parents had in demand skills plus we had relatives and friends who were willing to sponsor us and guarantee employment.
Fortunately we were not a situation where we needed to claim asylum.
Compare this to the average Afghan refugee - firstly the Australian embassy in Afghanistan is in a secret location and doesn't accept immigration requests, secondly to apply for asylum is an illegal act, as is leaving the country without the correct documentation. If you can manage to get out of Afghanistan and do manage to apply for refugee status the average wait time is 10 to 20 years with no guarantee. During this time you are in a country that is not signatory to the UN convention on refugees - ie you have ZERO legal status - you cannot work legally and you are not a citizen. Would you sit in this queue happily? For how long? Would you learn the language of a country that is unlikely to ever accept you as a permanent resident? Would you adapt to the local religion (Islam has about as many regional variations as Christianity - few Catholics would be comfortable in a community of Born Again Christians but it's the same religion)
And finally - do you think Australia has more, less or the same obligations as the rest of the world to accept refugees. Because at the moment we're punching far below our weight in the acceptance rankings, despite being one of the most able countries in the world. Currently Niger - a small 3rd world country in Africa which struggles to feed it's own population has approximately 100,000 refugees from Mali. Puts us to shame I think.
Best option is to remove the temptation of coming to Australia via boat.
If government bought up boats from departure areas and took them out to sea and then blew them up. They would save $$$$$$$$ plus it would act as deterrent.
Is my 2 Cents worh
My family have sponsored a little girl called Miriam since 2006 . My daughter's age and they right each other monthly and have formed a great friendship. We are just sponsoring a little boy or girl for my 8 year old son to be his friend and help. He understands the responsibilities and is prepared to go with out so that his friend will have a chance at the simple necessities of life. IMHO
there are so many worthless people in this country maybe we could have a system where we will trade them for refugees. send some of our dole bludging no hopers to war stricken countries in exchange for people looking for a new start.
Simmindo we have been sponsoring a little girl for the last 6 years. She's my daughters age and we have a great relationship with her. We have committed to get her through School and help her family out along the way. I agree many organisations are just shy of criminal. [}:)]
She is not in that bad a area but her father is gone and Miriam lives with her mum and grand parents in a one room house. We send her money for her schooling but we also help with pressies and my daughter is often just posting small items she finds cute and enjoys. The two of them will be able to meet up when teenagers and maybe Miriam may be able to school exchange in Aus later down the line.
My daughter See's this as her legacy and she takes it serous. Our kids have a great life and im glad of that but i also want them to be sympathetic to others less fortunate
Now my son is stepping up and i couldn't be prouder of him
I just finished reading 'the people smuggler' the story of Ali al jenabi. Very insightful and a good read too!
Boats again... I am game -- again!! psst feel free to refine - with equivalent style!!
The point seems to be loss of control. We control all other forms of entrance to the country but do not seem to get the approach right with boats.
I would provide say 3 regular ferry routes run by customs / border protection. Say from Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and India. I would charge but at 1/4 to 1/2 the rate of the boat people rates (i.e. not too loss making). I would insist on a minimum of identify paperworks - if you can fly into Jakarta get through immigration you have to have some ID.
The volume of boat people would be part of our humanitarian intake - at least double the current few thousand - say 20-25,000. I would balance this number against those currently coming through the airports. So the overall immigration numbers are stable.
Anyone intercepted / arriving on a boat would be returned on the next ferry to the country of origin. So you come on our service or not at all.
You control the numbers, you remove the stupidity and expense of the current system which has stuffed politics in this country for too long. You remove the plight of unsafe boats.
Once in the country a visa would, act as a permit to seek work, basic social services, and support structure to help integrate them. They would be eligible to apply for full citizenship after x months (say 36 as a starting point). Any criminal convictions whilst under the Visa, back to home country. Bonus incentives during this 36 month period to settle away from capital cities. Yarda Yarda Yarda..
So accept the concept as a fact of life - immigrants will always flow here
.
And finally we can re-embrace the second verse of our national anthem trashed so unceremoniously by Howard's detention camp policy and still shamefully lingering on[}:)].
"For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;"
And to put things in perspective...
I recommend listening to the following... covers a lot of ground - very smart analysis.. which if you were politically aware from say early eighties U should enjoy. Governments & migration policies get a guernsey but in the bigger scheme of things..
"Australia's economy is the envy of the world, but George Megalogenis asks: just where did we go right?"
2 part podcast..
mpegmedia.abc.net.au/local/brisbane/conversations/201202/r898884_9107994.mp3
and
mpegmedia.abc.net.au/local/brisbane/conversations/201202/r899790_9126866.mp3
Cheers
AP
Is this issue purely smoke and mirrors and purely a distraction to keep us from the important issues?
Last year we "let in" about 4000 asylum seekers out of 185000 immigrants.
That's less than 2% of our intake. More than 75000 people from the US or UK overstayed their VISA. Aren't these 75000 over-stayers more of a problem than the 4000 refugees? Refugees only want to come here because life in their own country is so bad with no education or medicine. War maybe is also driving them. Look at Vietnam. In the 70s and 80's we got tonnes of Vietnamese boat people as they were escaping war and now we get none. Obviously the solution is to improve conditions in the country of origin. Besides shouldn't we be more concerned with issues like global warming and pollution?
