Today’s Today Show: refugees, swine flu panic & Richard Pratt’s mistress. Oh my!
You can watch the segment here….
Oh it was action-packed morning which actually felt more like lunchtime since I'd been up since 4:30am. Why do my children have a radar that tells them when I have to be up at 5:45am and inspire them to get all competitive with my alarm clock? Thank you Remy. Let's blame your cold.
The topics were great this morning and Karl and I got stuck into a wide range of topcs. Feel free to comment on any of them here.
As for Richard Pratt's very interesting personal life – and now sad
death – I don't really have a position except to find the whole thing
fascinating. I'm going to post seperately later today about Sydney vs
Melbourne fashion so hold your fire on that one…..
One subject I'm keen to discuss here is refugees. I didn't post about this last week because I was away but I feel very passionately about refugees and our duty of care to people who have NOTHING and who are DESPERATE for a life in our country.
As conservative commentator PJ O'Rourke said on ABCTV's Q&A last week: "When people are getting on exploding boats to come to your country: LET THEM IN. You're missing out on some very valuable and committed future citizens if you turn them away."
And also? They're REFUGEES. They have nothing. Some are lucky to arrive alive. Let's help them. There's a thought.
You might also like:
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Finally, hopefully, an end to compulsory detention for refugees.
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The facts about refugees
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NEWS TO USE
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Next time I’m bumped for Hugh Jackman, can he at least be naked?
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Why Mel & Kochie don’t have to watch their backs
Beautiful comment Nat – hope you’re feeling better. Swearing justified.
I wish I had the chance to contribute more to this topic Mia, but have been really il for a number of days. So in my post valium haze, let me just add this…
My husband is a refugee and came to Australia as a 15 year old knowing not a word of English, scared shitless and coming from a homeland that where people were being shot at in the night. He was lucky enough to make a queue, but even if there hadn’t been one, you can be sure my in-laws would have done anything to get them out of there.
He has 2 degrees and earns pretty much double my salary. I am so fucking proud of him I could cry. He has contributed more to this country than so many who were born here ever can and wil do. Why? Because as a migrant, often, coming from nothing does something to you, gives you a real sense of drive and a real burbing desire to succeed.
When he arrived, not knowing anyone of any language of use (!) the best place he could move to was out ion the south Western suburbs where other people from his homeland had settled. Some call this an ‘enclave’. I call this a way of surviving what is a tough gig all round. The only way to feel at home in a big lonely country where ordering a hamburger in McDonalds can be scary, is to live around other people like yourself.
All you naysayers to migration, get a reality check people. Australians have SUCH an easy life and are often so ignorant to this often awful world we live in. Wake the fuck up.
Rant over. Excuse the swearing Mia, but it’s a real bug bear oif mine.
I’ve just watched the segment (THANKYOU Mia), but can only read this first page of comments, as any more objections to our duty of care towards ‘illegal’ refugees will tear me apart.
27 years ago my mother paid “lots of money” (we’re talking her life savings of $80, and a gold necklace!), and gave up EVERYTHING to risk her life (and mine, she was pregnant with me) squashed in with hundreds of others on a tiny rickety boat, that barely made the journey through treacherous seas, bypassing murderous pirates, to give me a life without poverty, dictatorship and danger.
They had no idea where they were going and if they were even going to be accepted when they got there. She saw other boats capsized, friends and family dying, girls getting raped by the pirates…
The trauma didn’t end there, it was to continue throughout our lives here in Australia.
Queue? You mean the queue to certain persecution and death? In most of these countries I would be jailed and tortured for writing this comment right now! Don’t forget the people who have the guts to leave a country in the face of death are usually the most incredible people. We’re talking journalists, teachers, artists, human rights lawyers…o people who are being persecuted for their religion, sex, or race.
These are the people who will work harder if given a chance in a free country, and they will give back. Let them, and help them. Because of this help back in the early 80s, I was able to have my freedom and my education. I went on to receive 3 degrees, and now work in the media in hope to raise awareness about the plight of refugees to my generation. My mother is a social worker who gives her duty of care back to Australian citizens.
Helping people who have nothing – through means of awareness, compassion, and yes, money – is one of the most rewarding actions we can do as tax-paying Australians.
I find it sad that the debate over asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat hasn’t changed one bit since Howard was around. For anyone interested in reading about the experiences of asylum seekers and the circumstances that lead people to leave everything they know and love behind, I would recommend The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/book-reviews/the-rugmaker-of-mazaresharif/2008/05/02/1209235136473.html
This is a really touching story of an Afghan refugee, Najaf, who made it to Australia and made a new life for himself in Melbourne. I volunteer at a legal clinic for refugees and have met many courageous and inspiring people like Najaf who could make wonderful contributions to Australian society if they were only given the chance. Why are we so scared of them?
I am so pleased with the general thrust of these posts towards a more compassionate stance and a more educated understanding of the issue. We need to dispell the notion of queue jumping,understand our legal obligations under international treaties to accept people seeking asylum (they are NOT illegal immigrants at that point)and publicise the proper statistics about our immigration/refugee intakes. I notice that some of the more narrow minded, ignorant and dare I say, racist comments from earlier in the discussion, have not been heard again?? I can only hope that perhaps people have tracked the discussion and are more informed and thoughtful about it. I hope so – I honestly think most Australians are generous and if they weren’t fed the “fearful” statistics/ideas by the media and a weak and desperate opposition, and were maybe given more accurate information by our current government – they would support the acceptance of these people and understand their plight.
I am still amazed at the ignorance surrounding our migration statistics – refugees still make up such a small percentage of permanent migrants to our country. The top two in 07-08? The United Kingdom and New Zealand. If you’re worried about migrants “taking our jobs”, then I think the 50-60,000 people coming from those two places in the 07-08 period alone are a much bigger threat than anyone sailing in on a little boat, don’t you?
Most of my thoughts have already been articulated by Lesley, Tim and Cath, but there is one thing that I’d like to throw into the mix, and it follows Hopee’s first comment on page 2, about how a lot of refugees are already contributing to our society, and excelling in their chosen fields…
I grew up in a tiny little community in north west Queensland. My family moved there 30 years ago, and mum and dad still live there. In that 30 years, they’ve seen schools shut down, transport services cancelled, businesses closed and services like the police force and the hospitals decrease in size, simply because people are leaving to go to the cities. And there are towns like that all over Regional Australia. Any one of these regional towns would thrive on an influx of even just a few families of refugees, who would help keep the town afloat by buying food, fuel and services. Those with kids would help keep the schools open. There are jobs in these small towns; anything from farming to shop assistants to secretaries. I’m not an idiot; I know it’s not as simple as just plonking a boatload of immigrants into a regional community and crossing our fingers, but I guess it’s just something to think about: these people need somewhere to live, and regional Australia would welcome any new families into their communities, regardless of where they came from and how they got here.
Thanks Mia for replying, I really hope he didn’t believe it too.
LOL – it isn’t the David Jones Food Hall – EXACTLY.
In the countries they are coming from so-called queues do not even exist! The queue jumpers are the ones that over stay visas when they FLY here.
Yesterday a colleague said to me, imagine if you were in their shoes, if you were living a nightmare everyday, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to try to get out of it, give yourself (and your children) the opportunity for a better life? Of course you would!
I can’t believe that Ch 9’s research department spends its time calculating $ that asylum seekers receive, spinning the story to stir up ill will towards asylum seekers. Surely there are more important stories to tell about these people, the terrors they are fleeing, their desperation and courage. Actually it’s Ch 9 isn’t it…of course that would be their focus…
ENOUGH with the ‘they shouldn’t jump the queues’ argument!
As I just posted on Twitter, there ARE no queues in countries like Afganistan. IT’S NOT THE DAVID JONES FOOD HALL.
Sigh.
Gertrude – I am genuinely not sure if Karl was playing devil’s advocate (because those segments are boring if you’re always agreeing) or voicing the views that he knew many in the audience would have or whether he really felt that way.
I didn’t think to ask him afterwards because it’s all very rushed and I had to get home and he had to get back to the Today desk for his next segment!
Actually, when we went to a break we were talking about the Logies!
I really really hope Karl doesn’t believe the line he was taking.
I completely agree with Maryann from page 1. The worst part of this whole business is how politicised it has become. For goodness sake, the entire Opposition front bench are lawyers, how could they close their eyes to the fact that anything printed in the newspapers can compromise a future court case!
As I understand it, the only softening of the current Federal government stance on border control is that we have gotten rid of one of the more restrictive types of visa. I know for a fact that we still have just as many Navy and Customs boats out in the ocean as we used to have under John Howard.
I think Tim’s comment right in the beginning summed it up perfectly, I have nothing to add and am so glad there are other people that can see the issue for what it is.
On another note. Sorry Mia, I know you really like Karl S but I think it is pretty obvious how he views the refugee issue and I was appalled that he replied to you, but they are “illegal immigrants”, it was more than just playing devil’s advocate.
Having watched him for the past few years on Today I think he tries his best and seems like a nice guy but he has quite a closed mind on some issues, particularly this issue. He hardly ever advocates compassion and empathy and he can be quite quick to judge. From a viewers perspective Lisa handles him with good humor and grace and it makes me respect her even more.
Please feel free to correct me if I am totally off the mark with Karl, is he different in real life?
I am so glad that you were able to say what you felt about the issue, it was about time someone in the media got a bit passionate and sensible about it and cut through the crap. Well done.
I would call a group of wealthy middle aged brits trying to sneak in on a chartered boat queue jumpers, not desperate refugees fleeing their war ravaged homes. Unfortunately I think our approach to “Illegal immigrants” is motivated by fear, misplaced nationalism and dare I say it, racism. I think it’s time that those of us fortunate enough to live in “the lucky country” rediscovered our compassion!
It constantly amazes me how many people talk about asylum seekers being queue jumpers. Aside from the fact that, as several people have mentioned, lots of these countries don’t have queues to jump, the ones that do quite often make getting out the country very difficult, or even genuinely dangerous. Go to a country where women are treated like dirt, and try to tell the government that you fear for your life, and the life of your little girl, and see what happens. They won’t give a shit, and may actually physically punish you for stepping out of line.
And that’s not even taking into account how many people are blatantly lied to about coming here – they think they’re going through the right channels, pay a small (or quite large) fortune, and get shoved in a shitty little boat that may sink before it actually gets here, with little food, and far too many people.
Anyone who is desperate enough to travel over here under those conditions clearly deserves a little compassion.
It’s disgusting how few refugees Australia accepts. Places like the UK and Germany accept way more than we do, and they are both smaller. In fact, you could fit Germany into Australia 20 times, and they have 5 times the population that we do, yet they somehow find room to take in a lot more refugees than we do.
Glad some of your more enlightened readers busted the myths around refugees and asylum seekers.
I work with many refugee kids and their families in schools.Their stories are horrifying. Their courage and bravery is amazing.
They face many more struggles when they come to Australia – the biggest being the racist attitudes they encounter on a daily basis. Yet they keep smiling and get on with life the best that they can.
Now that’s what I call inspiring.
As a mother, I know that things would have to be pretty bad for me to get in a dinky little boat with my kids and try to cross an ocean. Empathy is a good thing.
Sorry to get on here again, but the idea that we can’t support “masses of people coming here” is yet another cliche.
It’s a cliche because we currently do, except they are predominantly British/Canadian/US/NZ citizens who over stay their visas. There are way, way more of those than the odd 100 or so who come here by way of boat.
Perhaps we should send home the ones who overstay their visas and make room for the people in genuine need.
Holy shit. Can’t believe the ignorance that still surrounds refugees.
Reminds me of when I was doing a course about diversity at uni a couple of years ago and wanted to bash my head against the wall after hearing the unbelievably uninformed opinions of other people my age. Couldn’t believe the one lecture theatre could fit so many racist and dumbass 20 years old.
Can’t write anything else… Too frustrated. But definitely second everything written by the people who have shown that they have a heart in their comments.
tara – hooray for generalisation.
No one can blame them for wanting to come here. Australia is one of the best countries in the world. However, we must limit the number of people coming to this country as masses of new people simply can not be sustained. The infrastructure of the country is bursting as it is. If we open the flood gates, we simply couldnt handle it.
I think the comment about “ethnic enclaves” speaks volumes to this debate.
Would it be such an issue if it was a boat load of Yanks seeking asylum? Or a boat load of English people?
Of course not. We don’t care about WHITE ethnic enclaves, only the OTHER ones.
The asylum seekers that rightfully come here, looking for a better life, aren’t getting on planes, visas firmly in hand after applying to leave their ordered and peaceful countries.
They are fleeing, with their families and few possessions on boats that could potentially sink at any time.
They want a better life and they have sacrificed everything to make it to Australia.
Not because we are a “soft target” but because somehow, between Australia and wherever they are fleeing, the message that we have a sickening, simmering undercurrent of racism in this country hasn’t gotten through.
They still see us as the lucky country, so shame on anyone who demonstates that we are anything different.
oops, sorry- contrary to what my post says above, sorry Angie, but I don’t agree with you!
(whew, this having opinions thing is stressful!)
Wow, Lesley, I was going to write ‘Compassion, people, compassion…’. And you wrote the words right out of my mouth! Or keyboard. Some beautiful comments here. Regardless of your religion, the words ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ spring to mind. These are people like you and me – mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, little children. If my homeland was wartorn and my children were at risk of danger, (read: dismemberment, murder, rape, and being forced into a violent life themselves here), persecution, disease, and homelessness, would I politely ask: “Oh excuse me, where’s the queue to wait to get to a safe land? Oh here? Near these men with guns? Oh thank you. No, we’re fine. We’ll wait as long as it takes. We wouldn’t want to JUMP THE QUEUE!”. Would I? No I would not. I would do anything I could to ensure their safety, and their passage to a better life. Knowing all the risks, I would probably still take them, with the knowledge that even though we’d be leaving everything and everyone we’ve ever known, we might have a chance at a better life. Might.
I sure as hell don’t think I have more rights than any other human being to personal and political safety merely because I was born in a lucky country. A country where all some people can do is bang on about not getting their stimulus package yet, and not wanting genuinely desperate people seeking asylum to attempt to have any chance at that.
Further to that, I hardly think people in this situation are glued to the telly, waiting for Australia to ‘relax’ our laws so that they can be ripped off of every cent they’ve ever had to come here.
Survival is a human instinct. Safety is a human right. People will always be threatened by what they’re unfamiliar with, so challenge yourself and get familiar with the issues here. Come on. Compassion.
I agree with Angie, Tim, Lulu, and squeak- compassion, balanced with fairness has to be the best approach. We live in a very rich, very privileged place. Isn’t it our responsibility to help those less well off than us?
The alternative, hardline anti-immigration policies are inhumane- not just to the people who come seeking refuge, but also to those who have to enforce them. Think about our former immigration minister who referred to a child held in detention as ‘it’. Think about a government who tried to palm off our responsibilities to refugees (illegal or not) by pushing them onto our pacific neighbours and then borrowed a term used by the Nazis to sell it to the public… yes, the much maligned ‘Pacific Solution’. All stuff to be ashamed of, and surely not something we want done on our name again.
I’m firmly on the side of all those commenters who support asylum seekers.
Angie, while I understand your concern re: ethnic enclaves, I think it’s also important to acknowledge the richness that other cultures bring to our society.
My parents and sister’s family live in Griffith (which, yes, has experienced its fair share of criminal activity as seen particularly in the latest series of Underbelly) and it is one of the most amazing multicultural communities I’ve seen – people from Anglo, Italian, Sikh, Pacific Islander and many more communities have blended together into a truly cosmopolitan city that I was proud to have called my home for six years.
Few of these people would have entered the country as illegal immigrants but most came with the hope of a better life for themselves and their families. We’re the lucky country – why not extend a hand to those not as fortunate.
I’ve been living O/S for the last 18months and have been told many times by people that they think Australia is a very racist country. I have never thought so as I have yet to experience the racism at home that I have experienced here (I’m a halfie, however my mother has lived in Aus for more than half her life and would never consider herself anything but Australian).
Sadly, I can see why some people think Aus is so racist; however the racism that I see here is far worse in my opinion.
What an emotive topic!
The thing that bothers me is that every time I hear someone object to “boat people” they pull out the same tired cliches that have no substance.
“They take our jobs”. Oh really? I should think that jobs are awarded on merit and if a homeless, disadvantaged “boat person” is getting a job ahead of you, than I think you should up your game rather than whinge about it.
“lax current government policy has caused more people to try to ‘get in’”. And what about the horrendous government policies that led to the invasion of these countries which in turn led to massive instability, which in turn led to people fleeing for their lives?”
“they contribute to crime” Oh come on, what kind of generalisation is this? Such an unfounded cliche. And if it were true, don’t you think the marginalisation of these cultural groups by the rest of society might have more to do with it than the fact that they speak another language or have a different culture?
“my tax dollars are spent on helping them find their feet and integrate” If you begrudge this than you do not have very much generosity of spirit. Plus, many asylum seekers are highly skilled and once settled, are able to contribute to society in a very productive way. (languishing in a detention centre on the other hand is not very productive).
“they jump queues” As others have said, many of these people don’t have the option of correct protocol or queues to be part of. That makes them more needy in my eyes, not less. By the way, we are talking about people here, not applications to make home renovations. Life should be valued more highly.
How about meeting an asylum seeker before judging their morals and commitment to partaking in a new society.
Well said NJ.
Until we have experienced what life is like for these people, we really can’t comment on their choice of exiting it.
Let’s make a few things clear…
- There IS NO migration processing facility in Indonesia. If the Rudd govt. OPENED ONE UP, then perhaps someone could START a fucking queue.
- The only option many of these people have is to hop on a leaky boat. Or stay in their homeland and be persecuted. How desperate must people be to do this, particularly those with children? We need to show these people compassion.
- Australia’s a big place. Sure, we need to monitor migration, but it’s not like we’re in the Netherlands, people. We do have a bit of room.
- None of these people are illegal. It’s perfectly legal to seek assylum in another country.
These people need our compassion and support. Many Australians simply lack empathy, in my view.
Angie,
I would prefer my tax dollars to be spent on helping those who had nothing but war, famine and atrocities we can’t even imagine in their lives, then to go to those who chose as a lifestyle choice “be supported financially and socially to help get them on their feet”. I agree that as a country our government certainly needs to look at many of it’s responsibilities ( health system, roads, pension etc), but we also have an international responsibility.
“I am no Pauline Hanson, but ethnic enclaves in our cities have produced some significant criminal problems that are in part related to cultural issues.”
What about the enclaves of “real”, white Australians (for lack of a better term) who also contribute to the criminal problem? People who go around with the whole “we grew here, you flew here” mentality. Remember the Cronulla riots?
not sure on you policy about link-posting, mia, but i found this article interesting. and relevant.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25407443-421,00.html
i agree with angie.
i also think it’s also important to note the difference between ‘refugees/asylum seekers’ and ‘illegal immigrants’.
i could be wrong, but isn’t this part of the reason we have facilities like christmas island? to determine who is which?
and also, if they are truly refugees, then surely being detained in a facility would be better than whatever they’re running from.
I don’t want to get on my high horse, and I don’t want to preach. But, to all of those nay sayers out there… don’t you have compassion? Or a sense of history? Technically speaking the European based colonization of this country started with just a bunch of illegal immigrants. And to make matters worse, a vast majority of those people were criminals as decided by the British legal system. The country certainly seems to have done all right by them.
Furthermore, we are a country whose wealth and generosity is something that should be admired. Help out a few hundred – up to a few thousand – desperate people a year is nothing. It is certainly the humane thing to do. Look at the statistics, there are not a huge amount of people coming, it is so over covered and over exaggerated by the popular media that a sort of hysteria is built. And, the reports that are being put out to us general public can’t really be trusted, remember what we were told about the children overboard scandal?
Finally, look at the contribution that many of these people are making to this country. I know of quite a few refugees who were allowed in this country and are now excelling themselves in our education system, learning skills to help better themselves and Australia.
but angie, other people coming to our country and implementing their own culture was how our society was born. australia prides itself on being multicultural, why is that a problem? different ethnicities in our cities is what makes our country so special
Unfortunately with refugees, it is not just a question of “did they jump the queue” or “should we let them all in” – many who come to Australia come here not intending to become a contributing part of our society, but rather re-create their society here in our country.
I am no Pauline Hanson, but ethnic enclaves in our cities have produced some significant criminal problems that are in part related to cultural issues.
Further to this, people who arrive in Australia as refugees need to be supported financially and socially to help get them on their feet and in times like these we are unable even to support our own pensioners.
This complex problem needs a lot more thought and planning that “we should let them all in”…
On the topic of international law – the lofty ideals referred to in some comments are all well and good, but international law is not enforceable.
Well said Tim
Oh yes….can someone, anyone, please explain the so called “easing” of our immigration laws since the Rudd Government came to power? I keep hearing Malcolm Turnbull et al gabble on about how things are so much easier now, but no-one’s actually said why things are easier. As far as I can see, nothing’s changed except the extremely expensive detention centre on Nauru’s been closed.
Boats are still being intercepted and people are still being taken to that tropical wonderland, Christmas Island.
Compassion people, compassion.
This is an issue I feel really strongly about and I make no apologies for it. I hate the fact that it gets politicised. I hate the fact that Howard and now Turnbull and his cronies trade on the fear factor.
We’re better than that…or at least I hope we are
lulu is right, these people are seeking asylum from terrible conditions within their own countries. This is essentially the same debate as whether madonna should have been allowed to ‘jump the queue’ to adopt children from disadvantaged countries. Ultimately, she would be giving the child a much better chance at a happier life, so why shouldn’t we let these people in to give them the same chance? they took a huge step in leaving their country and coming to ours, and we reward them by locking them up in detention centres.
The thing is, they are not “illegal” they are seeking refuge here and they have a legal right to do so. The thing most people don’t “get” is there are thousands of people who arrive here on flights from various countries and then apply for refugee status. The outrage about boat arrivals is they are more visible than those who arrive on a jet.
Anyone who has the guts to leave their homeland in a bloody creaky boat and make the voyage here to try to make a better life for themselves and their kids deserves a fair go.
kb, you’re right… if anyone can show me the so called “queue” that these people are supposed to have stood in, please do, because I’m yet to see evidence of one.
The problem is the people smugglers, but the reasons are war and poverty made worst by the global recession. What really makes me angry is the way the opposition is politicising the issue. Yes I want to know if the explosion was deliberate or an accident but I also want the truth, not speculation. This takes a proper investigation.
Do you guys seriously think that places like Afghanistan, Indonesia and Iraq have these nice, orderly queues for immigration? Seriously?
People are fleeing life and death situations and we should be able to put them up. I would rather my tax dollars going towards giving a chance to someone who has nothing and is desperate enough to sail in a shitty little boat into the great unknown, than I would to know that Martin Bryant and Ivan Milat are being kept alive in prison.
Bear in mind, ‘Christmas Island’ isn’t as magical as its name suggests. It’s not like these people are being welcomed into Australia and offered your jobs! Please some compassion!
And what’s this ‘illegal’ rubbish? Are you going to take a pedantic legal high horse approach? I suppose you’ve never crept over the speed limit before? Double-parked? Both of which are illegal.
Compared to places like the UK and Germany, we take in the most pissy amount of asylum seekers each year. It’s not even noticeable. I ask you, have you, or anyone else you know, ever come into contact with, or been affected by an illegal immigrant?
the problem is the people smugglers monitor our government’s policies, they saw a relax in our policies and the volume of illegal immigrants increased. It’s taking advantage of an opportunity and also taking advantage of those wanting to leave their countries.
Lu, Vanessa, & all those who will no doubt be commenting soon; the asylum seekers are not ariving here illegally. To quote from a letter in today’s Australian: “Anyone has a right under Australian and international law to come to Australia, even those who come by boat without a visa, and apply for refugee status on arrival.”
Lets blame the people smugglers not the desperate humans who use them. If I put myself in the position of my family being endangered in any way, i would do the same. Get rid of the people smugglers and open the channels wider for legal immigration.
Whilst I sympathise with the refugess, the reality is they are coming here illegally. There are plenty of wonderful people who want to live in Australia who are waiting their turn and doing it legally. Through the correct channels. Not paying a lot of money to people smugglers to help them break the law.
A few thoughts on this issue: when you are talking about countries such as Afghanistan, it is very difficult to argue that a notion of “queues” exists. The countries that most asylum seekers of this nature are fleeing from are war torn and ravaged and the individuals are in fear of their lives; they are not able to head to the nearest Australian embassy (non-existent) and do the paper work! Families scrape together everything they have to get here. At the stage that people arrive here, thgey are legally entitled to seek asylum; we have signed international treaties to that effect.
The cold weatehr in Melbourne must be confirmation that hell has frozen over – I agree with PJ O’Rourke.
I was watching this morning and thought your views on refugees would cause controversy. These refugees pay alot of money to jump queues and get themselves on a boat to come over here illegally. Yet we should help them out? I don’t think so.