Navy intercepts seventh boat of asylum-seekers in two months

[Bully]

nothing will ever stop the boats. When people in horrible conditions in different countries see australia as the lucky free land then it will never be stopped.

Give them tasmania i say

[Q.]

nothing will ever stop the boats. When people in horrible conditions in different countries see australia as the lucky free land then it will never be stopped.

This is what they call a 'pull factor'.

It's been well documented that 'push factors' are what contributes to the rise and fall of maritime asylum seekers, which is why the number arriving in Australia has fallen over the last 12 months.

In 2010, the single biggest source of refugees was from Serbia. 28,000 Serbians sought asylum in 2010, but only 5 sought asylum in Australia, which debunks the 'pull factor' theory.

[Bully]

still. why dont they move them inland to remote communities and they have to stay there for a minimum of 5 years(once they have been approved to be here). This will promote communities inland and build population that way. Im sure towns that struggle to keep people there would like this.

and if they are caught leaving these towns before the 5 years is up then they get shipped out. Imagine driving 100kms north of Port Augusta and driving to a small city with 200,000 people (example) instead of driving 1000kms of nothing just trees?? more opportunitys this way

[gossipgirl]

send them to footy park to boost the crowds

[bulldogproud2]

It really is ridiculous that this is even a political issue. Australia ranks extremely low on the worldwide ranking of where asylum seekers go. Please consider the following facts from the Refugee Council of Australia:

Myth 2: Australia is being 'flooded' by asylum seekers


Fact: Australia receives very, very few of the world's asylum seekers, no matter what measure of comparison you use. Here are five ways of looking at Australia's refugee situation in a global perspective:


Australia hosts 1 refugees per 1000 inhabitants of our country, compared to the United Kingdom (4.7 refugees per 1000 inhabitants), Canada (5.2), Switzerland (6.1), Germany (7.0), Norway (7.5) Sweden (8.3), Chad (29.5), Montenegro (39.6), Syria (50.5) and Jordan (79.2) [ii].


Australia ranks a lowly 77th in the world when countries are ranked according to the number of refugees they resettle relative to their GDP per capita[iii]


Australia ranks 69th in the world when countries are ranked on the number of refugees they resettle on a purely per capita basis[iv]


Australia hosts just 0.2% of the global refugee population[v]


Australia can typically expect to receive a few thousand asylum seekers coming to our country each year, by boat and plane. Yet in 2008, the United States received 49,000 asylum seekers, Canada 36,900, France 35,200 and the United Kingdom (30,500)[vi].


The focus on a trickle of asylum seekers arriving to Australia also seems unjustified considering that there are about 48,500 people who overstay their visa in Australia each year[vii],[viii], many of whom are from wealthy countries.

Unfortunately this current focus on asylum seekers coming into Australia is largely to blame for Australia being seen as one of the most racist and least tolerant countries overseas. It really is a crying shame that many here have no compassion for those in need.

[dedja]

Please don't let facts get in the way of a good story ...

[redden whites]

still. why dont they move them inland to remote communities and they have to stay there for a minimum of 5 years(once they have been approved to be here). This will promote communities inland and build population that way. Im sure towns that struggle to keep people there would like this.

and if they are caught leaving these towns before the 5 years is up then they get shipped out. Imagine driving 100kms north of Port Augusta and driving to a small city with 200,000 people (example) instead of driving 1000kms of nothing just trees?? more opportunitys this way

frightening

[redandblack]

Great post, bp2.

[mick]

It is reported that Fiji might wishato be part of Labor's Pacific solution to asylum seekers arriving by boat.

[smithy]

AUSTRALIAN taxpayers are facing multi-million dollar compensation payouts to current and former asylum seekers who claim they suffered trauma and psychological damage in detention.
Legal and medical sources told The Daily Telegraph scores of detainees were preparing claims against the Australian government and detention centre operators Serco and G4S.

Revelations of the damages claims come at the worst possible time for the federal government, with tension in detention centres rising through overcrowding as the number of detainees hits a record high.

Among those making claims are Iranian Mehrnoosh Yousefi and her adult son, who have both been granted refugee status.

Mrs Yousefi's husband, former Iranian oil industry engineer Parviz Yousefi, achieved notoriety when he sewed his lips together and attempted suicide several times while in detention at Woomera between 2001 and 2004.

In 2008 Mr Yousefi was reportedly awarded a record damages payout of more than $800,000 for psychological damage suffered in detention.

Dr Zachary Steel, senior lecturer in psychiatry at the University of NSW, said that he had been told of multiple pending lawsuits.

"There are a number of cases going through at the moment," he said.

He also had "heard discussions of class actions".Dr Steel said the basis for most of the lawsuits was psychiatric harm caused by trauma experienced in detention, including riots, self-harm and, in some cases, allegations of mistreatment by inmates and centre operators.

There were also cases where detention resulted in injury, pain and suffering.

Mrs Yousefi has lodged a claim in the NSW Supreme Court on behalf of herself and her son against four parties, including the Commonwealth of Australia and G4S.

Slater & Gordon's Bill Madden confirmed the pair had claimed detention had "resulted in serious psychological damage".

Mr Yousefi suffered horrific experiences after being separated from his wife and son while in detention, resulting in self-harm.

Mrs Yousefi was quoted in 2008 as saying her husband would never work again and would require medical care for the rest of his life.

In some cases asylum seekers have made claims for lost earnings during and since their detention, citing factors such as an inability to concentrate and the need for ongoing medical treatment.

There are also believed to be workers compensation claims involving psychological and physical trauma concerning staff at the centres.

A spokesman for federal Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said last night: "It wouldn't be appropriate to comment on legal cases before the courts."

[Q.]

Serco need to be held accountable for their incompetence and total mismanagement of the centres.

[Gozu]

All anyone needs to know about Serco:

http://hungrybeast.abc.net.au/media/ser ... ons-profit

[smithy]

Serco need to be held accountable for their incompetence and total mismanagement of the centres.

What incompetence and mismanagement are you refering to ?

[Squawk]

http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/goback/tab-listings/page/i/1/h/About?cid=23222

Six ordinary Australians agree to challenge their preconceived notions about refugees and asylum seekers by embarking on a confronting 25-day journey. Tracing in reverse the journeys that refugees have taken to reach Australia, they travel to some of the most dangerous and desperate corners of the world, with no idea what is in store for them along the way.

Deprived of their wallets, phones and passports, they board a leaky refugee boat, are rescued mid-ocean, experience immigration raids in Malaysia, live in a Kenyan refugee camp and visit slums in Jordan before ultimately making it to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, protected by UN Peacekeepers and the US military. For some of them it’s their first time abroad. For all of them, it’s an epic journey and the most challenging experience of their lives.

June 21,22 and 23
8.30pm, SBS1

[Q.]

And if you'd prefer to read, this book is fairly eye-opening:

[Squawk]

http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/goback/tab-listings/page/i/1/h/About?cid=23222

Six ordinary Australians agree to challenge their preconceived notions about refugees and asylum seekers by embarking on a confronting 25-day journey. Tracing in reverse the journeys that refugees have taken to reach Australia, they travel to some of the most dangerous and desperate corners of the world, with no idea what is in store for them along the way.

Deprived of their wallets, phones and passports, they board a leaky refugee boat, are rescued mid-ocean, experience immigration raids in Malaysia, live in a Kenyan refugee camp and visit slums in Jordan before ultimately making it to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, protected by UN Peacekeepers and the US military. For some of them it’s their first time abroad. For all of them, it’s an epic journey and the most challenging experience of their lives.

June 21,22 and 23
8.30pm, SBS1

So who watched this show, and what did people think?

[Q.]

There's a thread in the Entertainment forum that discusses the show.

[smithy]

TEAR gas has been used to quell a riot at the Christmas Island immigration detention centre for the second consecutive night.
And with the centre at boiling point, a boat carrying another 52 asylum seekers has reached Australia’s shores, reported the Herald Sun.

The new arrivals and two crew members will be transported to Christmas Island.

Last night asylum seekers housed on Christmas Island lit fires and broke out of their compounds before federal police fired tear gas and bean-bag rounds to regain control.

It was the third incident this week.

After rooftop protests on Monday, a riot broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning, with federal police locking down the compound and using tear gas and beanbag rounds.

Last night, violence swept the centre again.

A spokesperson for the federal police said a disturbance broke out at the northwest point of the detention centre.

"Approximately 30 detainees breached a number of compounds... (and) lit fires in a number of locations," the spokesperson said.

"In response to the incident, AFP members were required to deploy a range of use of force options, including… bean bag rounds, CS gas."

No injuries have been reported.

The fresh wave of violence comes as the government tries to secure the finer detail of a deal with Malaysia to swap 800 asylum seekers for 4000 processed refugees.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said this week that the announcement of a pending deal had helped to reduce the flow of asylum seekers arriving by boat.

But this morning Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor announced the arrival of a boat with 52 asylum seekers and two crew members.

"The passengers will be transferred to Christmas Island pending removal to another country," Mr O’Connor said in a statement.

[Psyber]

You come from a country where your life is in danger, you risk your life and your children's lives in this boats because that is better than staying home, and don't have PTSD from that?
Then you get PTSD because you are in detention for processing somewhere that is at least safe?
It doesn't quite ring true to me - it sounds like lawyer drive pursuit of the cash...

Some European immigrants I know, who stayed in Nissan Huts for years in the 1950s and 1960s when they first arrived in Australia, tell me they were grateful to be somewhere safe and didn't care if it wasn't as nice as places like Inverbrackie, or how long it took to get settled.

[Q.]

So you don't think imprisonment is traumatic? How about for children who are imprisoned?

The trauma that a criminal suffers from incarceration has been well documented, yet you doubt that an average family suffers stress from incarceration?