Whilst they may have suffered intolerably back home, most leave their shores with one thing in tact, hope. Hope for a new start, hope for a better life. Enter the Australian Government.

In a radical attempt to “stop the boats”, Tony Abbott and his band of not-so-merry men are forcefully intercepting these helpless people out on the high seas, and sending them to a place barely more tolerable than where they came from.

This is a purposeful attempt to break the spirits of the asylum seekers, an array of men, women and children much like you or me, but with a lot less luck on their side. The Government is not concerned about people drowning at sea. They are only worried about upholding their abbhorent policy, by any means necessary.

Australian’s are known for their “Aussie spirit” which bonds us together as a nation, and has helped us prosper both economically and on the sporting stage over the past two centuries. So how can we be expected to tolerate the actions of our leaders, as they attempt to break the spirit of others?

In this article, I will attempt to break the myths surrounding the asylum seeker debate. If enough people are educacted about the reality of the situation the majoritarian view will shift and the Government will have no politial incentive to continue these atrocious actions.

A recent Facebook thread for The Project on the clashes at Manus Island highlighted a number of misguided views, which I am hoping to correct here. If even just one person changes their outlook after reading this, then getting up at the crack of dawn to write this has been worthwhile.

Statement: Oh well… shouldn’t have attempted to arrive illegally!

Reality: Asylum seekers arriving by boat are NOT illegal. They have fled their country due to fear of persecution and are attempting to find safety. In 1951, Australia signed the UN Refugee Convention allowing asylum seekers the right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents.

Why would we want these violent people in this country they flee there country to bring violence with them.

The majority of asylum seekers are warm compassionate people who are trying to escape the violence, and are not violent themselves. But just say Australia was at war and you managed to struggle onto a boat to survive, spent weeks upon the open sea risking your life to get to another country, then you are forcefully taken somewhere else, and locked up in a windowless shed, with 500ml of water a day in blistering heat, poor medical attention, and being separated from your children. Wouldn’t you kick up a little fuss?

A lot less drownings now. A country can’t be governed to the whims of the bleeding hearts.

Drownings may be reduced but the actions of the Government are putting the well-being of thousands more asylum seekers at risk. On Manus Island, they are denied adequate clothing, privacy, soap in bathrooms and lots more basic necessities. This impacts on both the physical and mental health of these already disadvantaged people.

Come in the legal way and abide by our rules. I could not just arrive in their country and be allowed to do what they are doing.

As per above, it is not illegal to seek asylum by boat. Whilst the people smugglers may be breaking the law, the asylum seekers have every right to flee persecution from their country by any means possible. Refugees fleeing their country because of horrific conditions do not have time to apply for travel documents or travel through authorised channels.

You cannot tell me every one who comes on the boats are legal.

Statistics show that 70-90% of asylum seekers arriving by boat are legitimate refugees. This compares to 44% of asylum seekers who arrive with valid visas.

Indonesia is not at war. If they were true asylum seekers they would of settled there instead of trying to come to our shores. They are only coming here for our welfare system and a hand out.

Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN Convention on refugees. Hence they come to Australia to escape the horrors in their own country, which our country agreed to support more than 50 years ago. Most asylum seekers come here to start a new life and become business owners or take on low paid jobs that others simply don’t want. This will actually help the Australian economy.

Asylum seekers have suffered enough and deserve a break. We are known as the lucky country. Let’s not become the selfish country.

When considering the actual challenges our country faces, boat people are NOT a major issue in Australia. . In reality, Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd have defined Asylum Seekers arriving by boat as a problem and are now using the plight of the world’s most vulnerable people as a platform to try and win the next election. Our leaders should be working towards educating their people, rather than misinforming and scaring them.

I thought democracy was about being able to vote for who you wanted.
This upcoming election will be like sitting down to the dinner table
and having to choose between shit and vomit for your meal.
I WANT LASAGANE!

Since these two “gentlemen” won’t state any facts, we’ll do it for you:

Asylum seekers arriving by boat are NOT illegal.

Asylum seekers have left their countries of origin due to a well-founded fear of persecution. Australia, a signatory to the Refugee Convention, recognises this definition of a refugee. Asylum Seekers are attempting to come here to find safety and start a new life where they and their children have a future.

Under Australian Law and International Law a person is entitled to make an application for asylum in another country when they allege they are escaping persecution.

While it’s certainly most tragic that some people drown off our shores whilst attempting to come here, it is just as bad that we treat the rest like criminals. We are signatories of the Refugee 1951 convention and should be behaving in a humanitarian manner.

Australia does NOT already take too many refugees

According to Amnesty International 1 in every 115 people are refugees. Australia hosts one refugee for every 1583 Australian people, well below the world average. We also host 3 times less than Britain, who have one refugee for every 530 people.

Until August last year, Australia accepted 13,750 refugees annually. Under Julia Gillard, this figure increased to 20,000. In UNHCR’s report Global Trends produced in June this year, figures indicate that over 23,000 people daily are forced to flee their homes due to conflict or persecution.

Currently, over 45 million people are displaced due to conflict or fear of persecution. The United States, Germany, South Africa and France received the highest number of asylum applications in 2012.

Our country was built on boat people

Over 200 years ago, boats brought thousands of petty criminals across to Australia and ‘made’ them live here. Those people turned this country into what it is today, as have the thousands of migrants from all over the world who have also arrived here by boat since.

The majority arriving are REAL refugees

Despite what the Government might have you believe, over 85% of asylum seekers arriving in Australia are found to be legitimate refugees. Which means they should be treated as such. Which is why the UN has expressed alarm at Australia’s deteriorating support for asylum seekers.

Refugees will NOT take our benefits

Refugees are like migrants, they boost demand for goods and services and actually stimulate growth in the economy. They are not free-loaders wanting to get something for nothing. In actual fact, their pursuit for a better life can make them enthusiastic contributors to the economy and broader society.

Sadly many Australians don’t have an appreciation of how lucky we are to be from this country and reap the benefits being Australian provides for us. We could have just as easily been born into a poverty stricken family in another country. To say no to legitimate asylum seekers is selfish and ignorant.

SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

This next passage is an opinion.

Asylum seekers are a fact of life. While there is conflict and persecution around the world, people will continue to flee their countries and look to settle elsewhere. Because of this, the boats will keep coming, no matter what type of approach we take.

Therefore, we should look to act as humanely as possible and embrace asylum seekers. Let them become part of the multicultural nation that we are today.

A relatively small number of people coming to Australia seeking asylum come by boat however they spent disproportional amounts of time in processing centres. They should be processed in Australia in a speedy and timely manner and then resettled in the community where they can contribute to the growth of this great country.

This is by far the most human and most economical solution. Off shore processing is not only inhumane, but expensive and those funds could be much better spent elsewhere.

But if common human decency and compassion isn’t enough to convince you, how about diverting money currently spent elsewhere? I’d much prefer to see money spent on building adequate processing facilities in Australia than spending billions on a war on the other side of the world.

Even today, we are spending millions on military action in Afghanastan. This is to help disadvantaged people suffering hardship and horrific conditions in another country. Isn’t this the same thing? How can we happily invest in helping suffering people on the other side of the world but refuse to help suffering people on our doorstep?

Don’t let the leaders of this country tell you how it is. Discover for yourself, and speak up!

If you want our country to stop turning its back on asylum seekers, sign the petition.