It is such an emotional issue I hate to see it politicised. But the issue of asylum seekers is the hot election issue as both major parties seem to be trying to outdo each other to have the toughest policy.

It’s a shame because often reality becomes a casualty of the politics to get votes. And there are plenty of votes around asylum seekers and boats.

Cartoon by Peter Nicholson: The Australian

Gillard has announced the Labor party’s policy to deal with the arrivals of the boats, which is surprisingly similar to that of Abbott and the Opposition. Both of which are very reminiscent of the Pacific Solution of the Howard government.

I hate queue jumpers. I detest people smugglers who are the scum of the earth.

We have every right to determine who comes to this country, who doesn’t, how many and when. That is our right.

BUT lets be sensible about it and base our decisions on fact rather than emotion.

Unlike the tax debate, this one involves real people, real lives. The decisions made here could be a matter of life and death for some. Yes we have to get rid of the cheats and liars who try to sneak in by taking advantage of our compassion.

But then we must show compassion to those who need and deserve it. That’s the Australian way. We are a compassionate nation and I don’t want that to change.

We just can’t generalize and claim all boatpeople are crooks and thieves… that’s just not right. It’s the opposite in fact. Most are genuine refugees.

Here are some facts we should keep in the back of our minds when we’re thinking and talking about asylum seekers.

• The UNHCR, who handles the processing of refugees worldwide, reports that only 0.5% of global asylum applications are made to Australia
• Australia is ranked 47^th in the world for taking in refugees. The top countries are Pakistan, Iran, Syria, and Germany.
• We’re ranked 91^st in relation to the nation’s wealth… those which can afford to take in refugees.
• Australia has an annual immigration program of 200 000, but takes less than 4000 asylum seekers.
• 90% of ‘boat people’ are eventually found to be legitimate asylum seekers, fleeing persecution and death in their home country. This is who Abbott wants to just ‘turn around’.
• In 2009, South Africa took in 222,324 asylum seekers. France took 42,118. Australia took 3,441.
• But we did resettle 11,080 refugees from overseas.
• Australia was one of the first nations in the world to sign the UNHCR’s convention for Refugees, which agrees to accept asylum seekers without refusal.
• Australia has an army deployed in Iraq but is refusing to recognise the refugee status of Iraqi asylum seekers.
• 97% of illegal immigrants arrive in Australia through airports on a tourist visa and then overstay.

While the pictures of illegal boats arriving look dramatic, the vast majority of queue jumpers come in on a plane through our airports. In fact, illegal arrivals are more likely to be living next door to you.

If anything, I would rather my tax money be used to catch these people than the millions spent on a few arriving on a leaky boat.

That’s not to say we don’t try and stop the boats. We need to hit the operations of the people smugglers before their cargo get on the boats in the first place.

Tony Abbott also made a good point when I interviewed his yesterday when he said atleast those arriving through airports weren’t paying people smugglers and their trip was a lot safer than on a boat.

Before you hear the politicians spin the issue, before they start flexing their muscles to see who sounds toughest, look at the facts and then make up your mind.

What are your thoughts? Do facts like these change your mind about our politicians' tough stance on asylum seekers?

Keep up to date by following me on Twitter or through the Kochie Facebook page .

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0 #27 Joe Ben Mayor 2010-08-11 11:23

I don't mind opening the doors to all refugees as human beings. Can we afford to care for them? But there shouldn't be any discrimination, so let us open our doors to everyone even European South African nationals that are not given landing permits because of biased points... Nobody is talking about any increases in the GST after the elections... WHY... it seems a real eventuality. Joe

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0 #26 Mat 2010-08-09 18:55

To be honest I'm not a fan and haven't seen much of your work. A friend told me about your blog post. I wanted let you know I have a huge respect for staying true to the ideals of your profession and presenting the objective, unadulterated facts on an issues so many of your colleagues are happy to sensationalise for ratings gain, wihout questioning the alterior motives of the major parties' press releases they read from or thought of the consequences of desseminating such harsh, exploitative rhetoric. Thankyou!

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+1 #25 Christina Spehr 2010-07-16 17:34

Really great to see the facts presented in the media by someone who has as much influence as you do. Well done Kochie for rising above!

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+1 #24 Nizza Siano 2010-07-15 18:37

How wonderful to hear from someone in the maintream media, attempting to put sanity back into this emotive debate. I thank you for that. Your facts are spot on and the beat-up hysteria about the "boat people" is being used for political gain. I would also like to mention that not all people smugglers are evil. Most of them may be benefiting financiallly (or maybe not) by assisting desperate people to escape their misery but if it weren't for them, many refugees would have no means of leaving their awful circumstances. Many persecuted people escaping from the Nazi regime during the 2nd WW, were rescued and brought to a safe land by "people smugglers". I hope what you have put up on your blog does inform those people who have fallen for the "fear" tactics used by the Coalition who are trying to use this as a wedge to win votes. Will they never learn????

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+1 #23 M Abedin 2010-07-15 01:35

Kochi you are great. People like you can put big influence in media.

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+1 #22 SCART 2010-07-14 22:49

Good to see a higher profile media figure actually telling the truth about asylum seekers & stopping the petty un-australian attitude that others have been fostering.

One thing though, a conservative estimate once based on population studies showed that if not for people smugglers, possibly half a million more jewish people would have died in the holocaust. They're not the scum of the earth to the people they save.

cheers, lookin' forward to seeing more of your writing.

SCART

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+2 #21 Liam 2010-07-14 18:06

i just wish more media would report the truth about refugees. Im sick of the media cough rupert murdoch cough trying to stir up white nationalist pride in this country and im disgusted that the two major parties are trying to win the xenophobic bigot vote

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+1 #20 Paula Pope 2010-07-14 18:01

I think the term "people smugglers" just demonises the people who help the asylum seekers get here. It's a way of taking attention off the heartless and murderous attitudes of our various political leaders, apart from the Greens that is. I went to the protests at Woomera in 2002, and I saw the kind of cruel incarceration that was dished up to these already traumatised people. Where has our compassionate centre gone? Did we ever really have one? There's no sign of it in our politics now.

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0 #19 Bette Devine 2010-07-14 17:18

I am still angry about Gillard's self-righteous reference to her immigrant parents who. after all, were not forced to leave their country but were, in fact,'Ten pound poms'. The dishonesty and rabble-rousing effect of her words amazes and infuriates me. The Greens have my vote.

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+1 #18 Mary-Lou davis 2010-07-14 16:30

Thanks. Kochie, for a well thought out and balanced view. A pity the politicians didn't have the guts to say this. Julia Gillard started her speech on the asylum seekers policy sounding as though she was going to appeal to Australians' sense of fairness, and then did a u turn, to appeal to the bigots in this country. Sort of like the judge who says: This is the worst case I've ever had to sit on. You are evil beyond belief. I'm sentencing you to 2 years gaol, wholly suspended for 10 years!

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