How would you look at the people by passing Tamil Nadu and coming to Australia from Sri Lanka, how did we start the war there by beating them at cricket?

Bruce Waddell: "The appointment of a committee .. might be seen as solution ...". I think the classical approach is to debate whether to begin talks into setting up a working party to consider the establishment of a committee. ;)
As I've often said, Australia is at the wrong end of refugee flows for anything we could decently do to reduce the flow. That's not to say that things we've indecently done haven't been, to some extent, effective. Whether the effects are decent is a matter of opinion.
I see the refugee issue as symptomatic of broader problems. Population, environment, climate, conflict (which is often a product of the others); the list goes on. Australia cannot stand in splendid isolation as the rest of the world collapses. The way I see it, we're on a sinking ship. We have three choices:
1. Cooperate, so the ship doesn't sink.
2. Cooperate, so the ship sinks on a even keel and we all drown together.
3. Push as many people as possible to one end, so that end sinks first and ours stays above water a little longer.
We seem to have chosen option 3.

There are no people traders, there are people buying transport to safety.

But Indonesia this year alone has forcibly deported christians to Iran, murdered one Afghan man and tortured others while the army and corrupt police trained by Australia are forcing people onto some of the vessels.

Indonesia is not our country no matter how much we whine.

This transcript from senate estimates shows what the Australian government is really do, something our media can't be bothered to report as they all pander to the bogans.

IT IS NOT ABOUT SMUGGLERS

Mr Metcalfe—When a person first arrives in this situation in Australia, we undertake what we call an initial entry interview. That is for a whole range of purposes to establish who the person is, where they have come from, how they got here, who they travelled with and what people smugglers they may have been—
Senator HUMPHRIES—Health checks, security checks?
Mr Metcalfe—Health and security are separate checks. But the entry interview is an interview undertaken by my officers. It is a preliminary process. One of the things, though, that we establish in that entry interview is whether the person prima facie raises claims that may go to Australia’s protection. In other words, it is quite a low threshold. Is there anything they are saying that may in fact enliven our international obligation to consider whether they are in fact a refugee? It is not, ‘Are they a refugee?’ but ‘Is there anything that indicates that they may in fact be a refugee?’ If we believe that there is a prima facie indication that they are raising refugee claims, then we forward them into the refugee status process, where they make an application, and we have a much more detailed consideration of their claim. If they are ‘screened out’, we have formed the view
that they are not raising any claims that go to Australia’s protection; therefore, they should be summarily removed from Australia. That has happened with some people. The minister mentioned some Indonesian nationals, for example.
Senator HUMPHRIES—So you are not talking about crew.
Mr Metcalfe—No. Crew are entry interviewed just on the possibility that they may raise protection claims,
but it is rare indeed for them to raise any claims that go to protection. No, this is everyone who arrives in the

Senator HANSON-YOUNG—Great. So this engagement measure within Indonesia describes $31.2
million going from the aid budget to managing irregular migration flows. I want to firstly clarify what that
means in terms of going from the aid budget. Is that from Foreign Affairs? Is that from something else within
Immigration? What will that actually be used for?
Mr Metcalfe—In broad terms, Senator, that indicates that the activity is ODA eligible. It qualifies as
overseas development assistance and is therefore drawn down from the budget administered by AusAID and
the department of foreign affairs.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—Would you be able to specify the items listed that will be funded through
that $31.2 million and whether any of that money will actually go towards combating people smuggling, visa
determination processes and the processing of involuntary returns?
Mr Hughes—The combination of things provided for includes assisting UNHCR with the early refugee status determination of irregular migrants in Indonesia, supporting Indonesia with accommodation and detention arrangements for people—
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—That is detention facilities?
Mr Hughes—Accommodation and detention arrangements for people intercepted by the Indonesian police and immigration. It is enhancing Indonesia’s capacity to undertake returns of people found not to require international protection and assisting the Indonesian authorities in improving their immigration system.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—Does any of that money go to the IOM?
Mr Hughes—At the moment, the details have to be worked through with the Indonesian authorities
because the intention is to support them in their local capability. So I cannot say at the moment how much of that might be spent through IOM. But it is possible.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—I understand the idea of accommodation and detention facilities, but in terms of the policing side of it, does that lead specifically to people smuggling, or is that about policing those people who are held in detention?
Mr Metcalfe—It is about irregular migrants or people who are potentially being people smuggled to
Australia. It is simply a continuation and an expansion of what has been happening for many years, where we work with Indonesian immigration authorities to assist them with people who may be unlawfully in Indonesia who are seeking asylum. We work with the UNHCR and we work with IOM to provide capacity building so that the Indonesian immigration authorities have a greater ability to manage the situation that they face to ensure that people who are in fact seeking protection are able to access processes and so on.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—Sure. Correct me if I am wrong. It is for individuals seeking asylum and helping to establish those processes?

L&C 102
Senate
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Mr Metcalfe—It is for us to support Indonesia as it participates in regional arrangements and cooperation. So it is very much about supporting the Indonesian and international effort to support irregular migrants in Indonesia, many of whom are seeking to come to Australia illegally.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—Will any of that money go towards Indonesia dealing specifically with people smugglers?
Mr Metcalfe—People smugglers or people being smuggled?
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—People smugglers.
Mr Metcalfe—It would not be my expectation that it would be targeted at people smugglers. There may be other elements of law enforcement cooperation through the Australian Federal Police, for example, where there may be work in that sphere. But this is very much about the immigration processes and supporting their processes to deal with the many people who are in Indonesia and come into Indonesia.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—So the other various programs that are listed under the budget specifically about targeting people smuggling are going to be related to the smugglers as opposed to the individuals and this is about those individuals who are—
Mr Metcalfe—When we talk about people smuggling, there are many things within that. It is ultimately designed to ensure that individuals are supported without seeking to embark on the very risky voyage to Australia. From our perspective, that largely relates to assistance to the Indonesian immigration agency, the UNHCR and the IOM. Other elements of Australian government support certainly go to law enforcement cooperation, which will be more directly targeting the criminal elements associated with people smuggling.
Senator Chris Evans—Our focus is very much on capacity building in immigration in Indonesia. If you are talking about law enforcement initiatives, they are much in the AFP space of initiatives and work they do with the counterpart police operations et cetera. Our relationship is with Imigrasi and it is about their capacities and professionalism, be it on border management systems through to policy development and detention and returns processing et cetera.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG—So you are confident that this $31.2 million that has been taken from the aid budget specifically for this engagement with Indonesia will not be used to combat the criminality aspect of people smuggling? It is not about people smugglers; this is going to be about the—
Mr Metcalfe—I see the point you are making, though. This is very much about the immigration capacity as opposed to the law enforcement capacity, if you want to draw that distinction.

Philip Dowling: "Instead of taking everything they want, they are given it as a matter of course."
Little boy in short pants, jumps up and down and cries "Some other kids are coming, they're not like us and they might want to play with our toys". Poor baby!
You're beginning to sound like an hysterical authoritarian xenophobe.

We are not party to the dublin plan.

And the refugees who come here to seek asylum are real refugees and there is no such thing as a quota for asylum seekers even in this delusional country.

Why not supply the Indos with suitable craft or station one of our own in Indonesia. There is yet another boar arriving today. Now if I am a yachtie who picks someone up who is in distress I do not have to take them to my home port or the country of their choice. I may take them t the closest port and wash my hands of the whole business. So why should the RAN behave differently?