What are your thoughts and feelings towards asylum seekers coming to Australia unauthorised by boat?
Update: More related news stories.
-THE political stalemate over asylum seekers is set to continue over Parliament's long winter break after Coalition and Greens senators teamed up to kill off a bill to restore offshore processing. (To read more, click here)
-Related news story: TWO babies in nappies and a toddler clutching a colouring-in book were among the group of 130 asylum seekers who arrived on dry land at Christmas Island this morning after being rescued from their stricken vessel in the middle of the ocean yesterday. (To read more, click here)
Video transcript:
To bring you up to speed with where the political debate is:-
News.com.au is reporting that EMOTIONS have been running high in the Senate where politicians are debating the asylum seeker Bill that passed the lower house in parliament last night.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young broke down and cried as she spoke about the plight of detainees, while senior Gillard Government frontbencher Chris Evans has revealed the legislation challenged some of his "philosophical" positions.
This Bill revives the Gillard Government's scuttled Malaysia people-swap deal and would allow for offshore processing on Nauru - the Liberal/National’s or opposition's preferred option.
Senator Evans has said he was the person who, after Labor was elected in 2007, closed the detention centre on Nauru, and who ended the controversial temporary protection visas.
Brisbanetimes.com.au is reporting that Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr has made an extraordinary attack on the High Court as the Senate is poised to reject this bill that would break the deadlock on asylum seeker policy.
Senator Carr hit out at the nation's top court for its recent ruling against the government's plan to use Malyasia as an asylum seeker processing centre, decrying the judgment as ''the most questionable and curious High Court decision in memory''.
The Liberal National Coalition simply want to go back to the Howard Government’s boarder protection policy, with a view that it worked before and will work again.
Is it a case that while boats are dangerously heading for Australia, this is a challenge for this country?
Does Australia just need to stop the boats at all costs including the loss of life?
What about the 10s of millions of people displaced around the world?
Does the whole world need to approach this problem, not just an attempt of Australian bipartisan political policy (which we haven’t even accomplished as yet)?
Leave your feedback below this video.
