Turn back the boats

Tony Abbott confirmed his stance on the boat issue yesterday by re-stating the Australian Liberal Party is firm on bringing its 'turn back the boats' policy to the next election, with offshore processing and temporary protection visas to also be reinstated.

The Australian Labor Party criticised Mr Abbott for failing to address his policy of turning back the boats when he met the Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week.

Mr Abbott had been very quiet on the issue until yesterday, when four boats carrying a total of 140 asylum seekers were intercepted in the space of 24 hours.

Read more from The Age

Tough love

As a nation, Australia has the responsibility to process the claims of any person entering our lands or waters seeking asylum. However, there is no stepping away from the issue that the people arriving in boats are not only risking their lives, they are jumping a long queue of potential immigrants looking to come from Indonesia, which is actually safe haven from the troubles in their own country.

I love Australia and could never see myself living anywhere else for the rest of my life. I can see why Australia is seen as the ‘golden egg’ for those seeking asylum. I just cannot accept the fact that anyone would have a reason to risk the dangerous journey to Australia in a boat from a country which they are not fleeing.

Where it is safe, turning back the boats seems the logical choice for me, as long as Indonesia is on board with the decision. The captains of these ships need to be arrested and the boats seized. There has been too many lives lost already and what we are currently doing is not working.

It may sound too logical for the Government to consider, but why not set up additional help services in Indonesia for those seeking asylum and offer a long-term processing scheme for those who do not try and make the journey on a boat?

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