Australia should take in refugees, as it has always done, but not those who arrive via boat. It should always have control over its refugee intake and control of its borders. In any case, sympathetic policies on asylum seekers arriving by boat inevitably leads to mass deaths by drowning at sea which is an immoral outcome.
What is of critical importance though is that Australian politicians treat their Indonesian counterparts with respect and sensitivity. It's called "diplomacy". Indonesia is our most important neighbour after all: do not mess them around.
Some of the policies that have been touted - buying up all the Indonesian fisherman boats, paying for intelligence on smugglers - are worrying given the lack of logical thought that went into these ideas and absence of quiet consultation with Indonesia.
What is of critical importance though is that Australian politicians treat their Indonesian counterparts with respect and sensitivity. It's called "diplomacy". Indonesia is our most important neighbour after all: do not mess them around.
Some of the policies that have been touted - buying up all the Indonesian fisherman boats, paying for intelligence on smugglers - are worrying given the lack of logical thought that went into these ideas and absence of quiet consultation with Indonesia.