As members of the Australian society, we are very safe and fortunate; yet we all seem to take it for granted. What we sometimes choose to ignore is that within this humankind there will always be conflicts. Conflicts such as discrimination based on race, religion or gender. There will be wars and as results, persecutions. In these instances, there will be innocent people that must, out of fear, leave their homeland and seek a more secure life. They are known as asylum seekers, and it is by both our moral and legal obligations that we must reach out and help them.
However, this is not the case in reality. As more and more, asylum seekers or “boat people” reached the coasts of Australia, the government’s response to this was to segregate them…show more content… They aren’t screened and their true identities are often hidden, giving arises to security issues and general concern from the Australian public. Especially, when the media places their spotlights on terrorist activities in the Middle East, where the boat people are most likely from. Could they be terrorists in disguise? Would they threaten our peaceful society? There is no absolute answer. So why not be careful and lock all of them up in detention camps, where the conditions might be even be worse than most of the third world countries. Even so, some argue that more issues would emerge if these people were allowed into the country. Refugees with marketable skill sets will compete with Australian residents for employment opportunities that are already limited. Australians fear that this would lead to higher percentages of unemployment and as a result, increase the rate of tax. Ones without skills or are unable to work may also turn towards the dole and put even more burdens on Australian taxpayers. There is also the high concern about crime. The backgrounds of these boat people aren’t pleasing. Many of which come from Middle Eastern countries that…show more content… Have we acted the way we should? As Australians, we’ve always considered ourselves to be moral and active towards global issues, such as whaling and logging, but what about asylum seekers? You can say that we’ve signed the Refugee Convention, but the truth is that we are not fulfilling all our responsibilities. Some argue that we have been accepting a number of refugees into the country, but the statistics show only one in every 1600 people, which is far less compared to the British statistics of one in every 600. Scared of their hidden identity? Australian and International Law allows those seeking asylum from persecution in their countries to seek it even without documents of identity. Still a bit unsure? In the early 18 hundreds didn’t English people travel vast oceans on boats to seek refuge in Australia? Isn’t it strange that prejudice is directed towards modern refugees when ancestors of many Australians arrived in the same way? And were those white settlers and convicts locked up and sent to detention camps? No. So why, after 200 years of development, are we treating those refugees so immorally? As for limited employment opportunities, the refugees would only take up the jobs that most Australians would refuse to be employed into. Australian unemployment statistics wouldn’t ascend or decrease just because of refugees; it’s just an excuse for many that are trying to reduce their feelings of guilt. More refugees may create demand and