Asylum Seeker Thoughts

Australia receives a large number of asylum seekers, and is a perpetual debate about how to treat those seeking asylum by boat.

First off, seeking asylum via boat is extremely dangerous, and should be discouraged however possible. The right and left of Australian society differ on how to do this; the left would speed up processing wait, perhaps increase refugee intake, and not incarcerate asylum seekers for as long as they currently are. The right would impose temporary protection visas that seek to deport the refugees once it is safe to do so, and maintains that mandatory detention is an effective disincentive.

My view is that mandatory detention is a disincentive, but is not morally correct. Processing should be as quick as possible, and housing should be provided during (when established that it is safe to do so - after quarantine and security checks are performed). I cannot imagine that many refugees staking their lives on such a perilous journey are not genuine; therefore, the behaviour to target is journey via boat rather than falsifying claims. I think that if there is a known, predictable, humane process in store for potential refugees, they would choose what is usually the safer option - to lodge their claim from their country and not attempt travel.

I also feel that temporary protection visas are not morally acceptable. It is not in the interests of a refugee to be continually disrupted; to have to flee persecution, war, and so on in their home country and then to be deported again when this is safe.

Finally, a disclaimer: I am no expert when it comes to UNHCR or asylum seekers generally, and can only offer my opinion based on what little I know. If anything, the core issue is that so little information is know about refugees seeking asylum in Australia. For instance, if we knew what ration of asylum seekers were accepted as genuine, the hearts and minds of many Australians would change. At present, many Australians feel that asylum seekers are actually trying to share the prosperity that Australians enjoy (which I am not against in any case).