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Australia has seen boat people arriving into our waters since 1976, the first reported wave was in Darwin with the next five year thereafter bring 2059 asylum seekers to our shores. The types of people seeking asylum consist of people being displaced, tourists/ trained gorillas and drug smugglers.

From 1989 there were 300 per annum to 1999 mostly from countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Southern China. In 1999 Australian saw their first waves of boat people coming direct from the Middle East from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Other.

In 2001 – Feb 2008 it was reported 1637 boat people were captured and detained in Australia facilities of these 1153 re-settled and 705 of the 1153 were resettled in Australia.

Boat People stats on illegally Asylum seekers not turned away. Since 1989

Year Number of boats Number of people
1989–90 3 224
1990–91 5 158
1991–92 3 78
1992–93 4 194
1993–94 6 194
1994–95 21 1071
1995–96 14 589
1996–97 13 365
1997–98 13 157
1998–99 42 921
1999–00 75 4175
2000–01 54 4137
2001–02 19 3039
2002–03 0 0
2003–04 3 82
2004–05 0 0
2005–06 8 61
2006–07 4 133
2007–08 3 25
2008–09 23 1033*
2009–10 64 3011*
(to 10 March 2010)

Since 1999 in Australia Temporary Protected Visas (TPVs) were issued giving asylum seeks permanent status with access to job access, special benefits, rent assistance, family tax benefits, child care benefits, medicare, health assessment and intervention programs and counselling services care of the Australian Tax Payer.

Australia Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) Breakdown since 1999

Afghanistan 3661 Iraq 4269 Iran 475 Other countries 507 Total = 8912

On top of these TPV’s holders may apply for the further Protection Class XC visas to gain Permanent Status with 90% approved. With a permanent status certificate this allows asylum seekers to obtain public servant positions if choosing.

These people cost Australian Tax payers 10 Billion per year annually to house and process them. Tax payers money is money that the government collect and may gain a surplus annually from the Australian public via the ways of goods and services, including but not limited to financial year endings tax.

This money is also what the government uses annually for infrastructure frameworks and public services. The government then may opt for the option of borrowing money from world banks against the economy’s strength/assets to support further expenditure that’s paid back with interest to that bank.

The Australian people feel that we need to do something more than just throw money at such problems, as that only surprises the problem for a period of time as stated in the paragraph above.

In knowing that asylum seekers directly these days are coming from the countries stated above, that they must pass by countries such as India, Sir Lanka and Indonesia.

More often than not these countries hope that boat smugglers keep going to avoid having to take responsibility, not to mention spend on protecting their own local waters. These counties will only capture these people when boat smuggles run into trouble off their own shores.

Tax payers do not, nor will stand by with such proposals of handing money to these countries to support their own borders, we are not a charity to countries that can support their own economics, our money is to run our country not other peoples countries.

If we are to continue accepting boat people into our country then the Government/UN needs to intervene world wide with a bill that makes countries responsible for the financial costs countries endure by other countries for accommodating and processing their people even if we send them back.

This will tell these countries that their priority is their people that allowing them to illegally depart and enter other countries without pursing them through international waters will cost them financially.

In addition to this other options available are supplying these boat smugglers with food, blankets, a check up via the navy and refuelling in accordance to humanitarian help then turned around to whence they came.

Space is a problem on islands to maintain these people we need to think more modern in our approach with technology readily available. With such technology we can place these people with zones on mainlands without fences with infrastructures that help these communities to become self sufficient, maybe even produce.

These Settlement zones are of cause monitored and all asylum seeks tagged with neck bracelets that if they try to escape the zoned area or tampered with will automatically put them asleep and anyone around them for a 5km radius, in turn this tag alerts the monitors of their location for retrieval and deportation without a chance of visas a zero tolerance policy.

This zone is done with a Frequency Tower much like a communication tower that can adjust zones and strength of frequency as seen fit much like a mobiles reception, which also can lock the zone down completely in the case of a riot. Monitors and guard houses would be situated outside this zone with only the receiver tower within.

The benefits are Asylums seekers feel less caged in with a somewhat limited freedom; a community that come sustain its self by is residence that wish to contribute free will and a more humane living standard by allowing these people to build extra facilities for them self’s via projects.

Regards

Brett Hutton
Strykers Lounge Aus