There is a story about the English King who stood at the edge of the ocean and spoke to the rising tide ordering it to go back from where it came. This was done by the wise king because he wanted to show his subjects that some things are even beyond the power of kings to turn back,
Yet it seems the leadership of our nation believe that it is not only plausible to regulate the tide of humanity seeking lives better than those they escaped in their own lands. They believe that being less than humane and imprisoning people in detention centers will stem the tide of refugees. The reality is that it will not. Many will simply take the view that being in a detention centre simply puts them one step closer to their desired place of refuge and they will continue to come any way. They know that as it did before under the Howard Government detention on Nauru will simply result in the eventual granting of entry to Australia.
Onshore processing and quick open treatment of asylum seekers is the right and decent way to handle asylum seekers. It's what we agreed to under our international treaty obligations and we as our nation should honor our agreements.
Then there's the oft repeated lie that boat arrivals are "illegal" because it make the detention without charge seem like a more reasonable option than it really is.
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