Why do so many people in Australia disregard the laws of the land and want to let any old person into the country?

I am with Luke on this one - we ahve an obligation under International Law to which Austrlia is a signatory to offer protection and assylum to assylum seeker/refugees

IS also said

This world is a very different place to what is was when Australia opened to immigration back in the 50’s and we should all be mindful of the risks in current day life.

Yes that’s right - we no longer require that you be white and from Europe.

Could I ask you to please hold your tongue on these matters until you have been willing to explore the truth by meeting and sharing your life and the gospel in these situations. I’m sure it will open your eyes to an entirely different perspective and challenge many of the concepts you have developed from a distance.

Ahhh…NO, you may not ask us to hold our tongues until after we have been to a detention centre or actually done something or worked with a refugee. Alot of our lives is lived at a distance from the issues that we hold opinions about - that doesn’t negate or make irrelevent how we feel or think about those issues. I ahve never been to Africa, I have never had to be with someone who has watched their child die from hunger or diseases which could have been cured for lack of medicine that you and I are able to access with absolute ease - but I ahve listednto te stories of those who ahve been there and do know first hand and so i have opinions.

I avhe never been to a refugee camp or to a detention centre - but I hold absolute opnions as to the justice of holding people in prison who are asking for our help - it is not emotionalism - it’s about justice. Children should not be kept in situtoins like this or this. These are images of Baxter detention centre - it is a gaol and children should not be put inside it - we woulds never allow an Austrlaina born child to be put in there - why should other children be premitted to suffer inside them…here on our own soil?

this is what a room at Baxter looks like or what about this shower in the Baxter isolation unit.

I’ve been to gaol and our own home grown criminals don’t get treated like this. These people are not crimianls, they are not cue jumpers - they are refugees, they are asking for our help and protection - and we throw them in gaol and do everything we can not to help them.

So sorry Much Forgive, but no…you can’t ask us to hold our toungues.

‘Your logic is nationalism, but I am called to defend no nation, or land, but seek for the kingdom of God to be established. Would Jesus say, “well these people might be criminals, send them away?” Perhaps you should look into the social and political ramifications of the story of the good samaritan.”

theologically loaded… theologically sound!

Out of sight….out of mind….?

I’m a lawyer, and while I haven’t done much (very little in fact) immigration work, many of my friends have, and I’ve seen enough files ot know that these stories are not “loose journalistic interpretations” but are more common than any of us want to believe.

Until I got involved with refugees, I thought the law sucked but that it would work at LEAST when it absolutely HAD to. Let me assure you that is not the case at all.

ISurvived - there are ways of “protecting borders” (not that I’m particularly concerned with that) that don’t require locking people up in camps in the middle of the desert, limiting their access to education, health care, etc. Come on, kids don’t try to commit suicide by drinking shampoo for no reason! Sorry, but I can’t help but begin to worry when I know that journalists are being denied access to somewhere…