Hi Dina
Your granddaughter’s letter was one of the motivations behind my post. I’m glad you have sent me the link. I shall post it proudly on my site.
See a child’s view of asylum seekers on dinadavis2015.wordpress.com.

And a right juicy spit it was too.

A good summary. We need co-operation between the parties on this one, but will that ever come? I realise I’m going for political correctness with my post, and that it is a much more complicated situation, as you point out. But I just got angry with the slogans and spat the dummy.

I really don’t know what is best. I’d like us to be more welcoming and to share the bounty that we have, but how to do it without being over-run or taken advantage of? Don’t discourage the boats and unscrupulous, money-grubbing opportunists take charge, unsuitable boats are used, some sink and people drown.

And how do we sort out the real/political refugees from the financial refugees? Indeed should we? How do we keep out those bent on terrorism or on taking over our democracy? What levels of support do we offer and for how long? We must get rid of the off-shore “holding pens”, but what are the alternatives?

I’d like us to be compassionate. I’d like us to be charitable, I’d like us to be fair. I just don’t know what to do or how.

I think let’s start with some honesty. I feel like I’m being treated as a kindergarten child with the secrecy and the slogans. Other countries have much bigger problems than us, and yet we are led to believe we’re in a dire situation in regard to boat arrivals. Because it’s Refugee Week, I’d like to send out some positive energy to refugees from our little island paradise in the Pacific Ocean. We’re so lucky to have been born in one of the minority countries where things are generally good. I don’t know what the solutions are, and probably other wealthy countries are jealous of our government because we can stop the boats. But it doesn’t make me feel good, this approach to things. What’s your take on it?