Both the ALP and the LNP say they want to wreck the people smugglers business model but in fact they are not going to achieve this by locking up the people who are seeking asylum. The basic fact is that these people are looking for a place where they can be safe and can be allowed to exist in a manner that gives them the dignity to be able to work and raise a family with.out the fear of persecution.
Trying to get to Australia and then receiving the protection of the Australian government is what they seek initially. They then seek to get settled either in Australia or another country. Locking people up does not stop them from coming. All it does is ensure that they get the protection and a standard of care that means they will be able to survive until they get to a country that will give them asylum.
In order to be able to achieve this goal they need to get to a country that will provide that protection under international law and will also allow them to achieve the goal of living a life with dignity. That country in the region is Australia as none of the other country's in the region are able to offer the protection that they seek.
What is not fully understood by the electorate and in turn by the major political parties is that in order to be able to stop the people smugglers' business model and stop the deaths at sea,. we need to remove the clients from their insidious grasp.
Currently in the region people are able to seek protection in transit countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. But even though they are protected they are not able to achieve the goal of living a dignified life as they are unable to work or conduct business etc. There are huge economic and social reasons as to why the region is unable to support these people. Anyone who has lived or worked in the region will attest to the extreme levels of poverty that exist across the region.
I do agree with both parties that there needs to be a regional approach but these discussions are ongoing. And as with all discussions and agreements on the international stage if it does not involve a trade agreement it appears to take an exorbitantly long time. The Bali process commenced in 2002, 11 year ago and all we have to show for it is an agreement to agree at some point in the future.
People who are Fathers, Wives, Sons, Daughters, Sisters, Brothers, Uncles, Aunts, or Grandparents are dying NOW trying to seek asylum. Just to spell it out a bit further for the MP's in this world "Humans".
The amazing fact is that in offshore processing we have actually had a reduction of numbers from approximately 13,061 in 2003-04 to only 8500 in 2010-11. The actual number of people processed, in total, has remained steady at approximately 13,700 so we have seen a steady increase in the number processed onshore.
Another interesting fact is that the period of the greatest intake was actually during 2005 -06 when the Howard government allowed 14,144 people to migrate to Australia.
Working with the region and UNHCR we should develop a methodology for the fast track processing of refugees, not only to Australia but to all countries that take refugees. We should be allowing peole the right to arrive in this country under protection and to live and work in our communities while they endeavour to seek a better life in what ever country they eventually settle in.
The interesting part of the debate is that there is in fact a short term solution available. It would be cheaper than the current solution and put an end to the deaths at sea.
We should immediately increase the refugee intake to 30,000. These people should be encouraged and provided incentives to ensure that they live in regional locations and areas where they are able to gain work. So rather than being a burden on the tax system they become tax payers.
The current cost of maintaining people on Nauru will be approximately $253,000 per person or 1.9 Billion dollars.
There is an interesting article on the economic cost of asylum seekers here Economic Cost of Asylum Seekers
We currently have a system where we are punishing people for taking the trip by boat and then putting them into environments where we are causing damage.
It is my contention that a better solution is to allow these people into the country. If it costs us $9,000 a year in Newstart and they get rent assistance of say $9000 per year we are still a long way from $253K
We can in fact help 12 people for everyone that we lock up.
If people are paying the Smugglers to come to Australia, those that meet the refugee criteria and pay a fee get here first.
This will wreck the People Smugglers Business Model. We compete with a safe method of getting to Australia and the ability to provide a decent and protective environment where you are able to live in dignity.
Australia is a country that has been multicultural since the arrival of the first settlers by boat. And as an indigenous leader once said we have had a boat problem ever since. We are not people who don't give people a fair chance. Our lives have been enriched by the influence of a range of cultures. Surely we have the maturity and the compassion to open our borders to people and grant them a place of refuge.
Below is a link to a very interesting article from Anne Mc Nevin a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Monash University on which I have based some of my points.
http://inside.org.au/why-we-would-gain-from-a-regional-approach-to-refugee-protection/
Here is a link to another article which discusses the futility of border protection.
http://theconversation.com/the-myth-of-the-people-smugglers-business-model-16426
Here is the link to the Bali Process
http://www.baliprocess.net/
Here is the link to the Numbers I quoted on intakes. It makes for a very interesting and enlightening read especially when we look back at our history and see what we have contributed in the past.
http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/r/isub/2012-13-IntakeSub-stat.pdf
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