Crikey media wrap: When the High Court struck down the government’s hyped Malaysia refugee plan this week, its decision started a media flurry about the government’s ability to rule — and Julia Gillard’s to lead.
People smuggling
People smuggling won’t stop until the customer base dissolves
It’s virtually impossible to adequately police the thousands of kilometres of Indonesian coastline and prevent Indonesia’s fishermen from crewing boats to Australia, writes Sue Hoffman, a Perth-based refugee advocate.
Wilkie’s ‘disruption operation’ solution: sugar in the fuel tank?
Intelligence sharing, sugar in the fuel tank or drilling holes in boats — just what did Andrew Wilkie mean when he called for re-energised “disruption operations” as a way of halting the people smuggling trade?
Gans: Let’s get in on this people smuggling business
What a mess asylum seeker policy appears to be, with so little clear articulation of what it is in the context of other options that existed. It’s all about looking “tough”, writes Joshua Gans.
My life as a people smuggler
Fake visa stamps, paying a corrupt airport official to open a side door, waiting at McDonalds, making $500,000 profit — it was an easy life until John Howard stopped the boats, says one former people smuggler turned AFP covert agent.
The answer is ASIO
Another security announcement, another boost for ASIO. It doesn’t take an alfoil-wearing conspiracy theorist to see a pattern, the Government is keen to bolster its security credentials.
How Oceanic Viking sunk our relationship with Indonesia
Most of the Oceanic Viking refugees are now resettled in Australia, thanks to pressure applied by Kevin Rudd. But pity those 255 Tamils waiting in Merak, because Rudd has used up all Indonesia’s good will, writes Paul Maley.
How to balance the human stories against the hard rhetoric
With the focus on leadership spills and Copenahgen, people smuggling has been put on the political backburner. But expect refugees to be an even more bloody election battle than climate change, says Suvendrini Perera.
VIDEO: Inside the Indonesia-Australia people smuggling trade
Al Jazeera goes inside a network of people smugglers taking asylum seekers from Indonesia to Australia, revealing some closely-guarded secrets of the human trafficking trade.
Myopia and forgetfulness the preferred direction on foreign policy
When the Rudd Labor government was elected two years ago, there were high hopes that it would leave behind the more negative foreign policies of its predecessor Howard coalition government. What we have, though, is a foreign policy shambles.
Allard: Humane, but definitely not tough
So much for “tough but humane”: the Government’s offer to resettle refugees aboard the Oceanic Viking has turned the whole saga into a farcical political pantomime, says Tom Allard. It will do nothing to deter people smugglers.
Rudd’s “secret plan” to increase Sri Lankan migration
The Government is looking to allow more Sri Lankans to emigrate legally to Australia in an effort to reduce the incentive for them to come via people smugglers.
Bartlett: A call to stop mandatory detention for people smugglers
Anyone caught assisting with the unlawful entrance of asylum seekers to Australia is brandished a people smuggler and receives mandatory detention. Is Indonesia’s unhappiness at Australia imprisoning some of their poorest damaging our diplomatic relations? asks Andrew Bartlett.
In defence of people smugglers
Kevin Rudd may deride people smugglers as the “scum of the Earth”, but for Andrew Casey, they’re the people who gave him the opportunity for a better life.
Possum: The first big poll on asylum seekers
The long awaited polling on public perceptions of the asylum seeker issue is in, finding 52% think the Government is too weak on border protection and 66% support the decision to turn back boats. Possum Comitatus has more.
Meet Kevin Rudd’s “scum of the earth”
The two men charged with bringing a boatload of Afghani asylum seekers into Australian waters appeared before the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory last week. Are these the people really “scum of the Earth”?
Carney: Rudd steers the future course of asylum seekers
Kevin Rudd is struggling to balance his “tough, but fair” asylum seeker line. Why doesn’t he take a more humanitarian stand, but be honest and acknowledge the possible increase of people smuggling? asks Shaun Carney.
Asylum seekers: territorial security versus electoral suicide
Kevin Rudd repeatedly denounces traffickers as “the vilest form of people on the planet” but says nothing whatsoever about those governing Sri Lanka — almost as if it’s morally worse to smuggle victims away from atrocities than it is to perpetrate them in the first place.
The boat people budget bonanza
Our economy benefits extraordinarily from immigration, often to the detriment of the countries from which the arrivals come. So why are the broader economic issues surrounding boat people ignored? asks Tom Elliott.
How Rudd sent the wrong message
Kevin Rudd’s decision to grant protection visas to all 42 Afghan asylum seekers from the boat that exploded off Ashmore Reef in April may prove to be one of the biggest political and policy mistakes he has made, says Ken Parish.
Andrews: Rudd’s people-smuggling policy in tatters
Kevin Rudd was naive to think he could water down Australia’s immigration policies and still discourage people smugglers, says Howard government immigration minister Kevin Andrews. And it is “genuine refugees” who will suffer most as a result.
People smugglers are people too
PM Kevin Rudd may be talking tough on immigration, but putting the pressure on people smugglers — sometimes ‘mum and dad’ operations — will simply strain diplomatic relations with Indonesia.
Fred Nile turns people smuggler
Christian Democrat Fred Nile is getting into the people smuggling business, with plans to smuggle 2000 Christian asylum seekers by boat into Australia from Indonesia.
