Boat People

Just made a post on Radio National.

There's no limit to Peter Dutton is there? Advocates giving false hope he says.

In sober fact all you have to do is read the UN Declaration on Human Rights to people and, in the Australian context, you've given them false hope.

Australia's stance is quite clear: contravention of the charter of human rights to all who come here by boat.

(Or is it? What about those who jump ship, overstay their visas, when arriving on tour cruise ships, ocean liner, cargo ships? We never hear about that. Our media too busy toeing the line I suppose).

That's the sober truth.

The next sober truth is that we manifest that attitude by deliberately adopting inhumane and callous practices.

Sorry if I spoil your day, but it is true.

We could have exactly the same official policy towards 'boat people' that we have now, in contravention of supposed human rights, without doing any harm to people whatever. Without imprisoning them for years in horrible conditions. Without dumping them in third world countries from which they'll never get the chance to flee.

We could treat people well, and with kindness and understanding, help them as much as we could, but still take them back where they came from, or to wherever they wanted to go that was possible, or just keep them in prisons that were in fact humane and gentle places.

We could demonstrate a firm and gentle policy. We could explain our total fear of inundation from the sea of thousands, millions, of refugees and our decision to block that traffic by denying anyone what arrives in that way any possible chance of settling in Australia.

We could explain that honestly and kindly and confess that it is a poor reaction but that we are incapable of thinking of any other solution. Could they perhaps suggest one?

We could go through all the same mechanisms and leave out the inhumanity, the cruelty, the callousness. And, incidentally, leave out the treatment of the Australian electorate as a bunch of half wits not worthy of consideration, of the access to the truth.

That's what could happen. That's what, at the very least, should happen.