State sponsored persecution

Julia will be hard pressed to overcome a growing reputation as a nasty, shallow and policy-free manager. She is no leader.

"For we are young (immature) and (selfishly) free..."

All wealthy democratic nations are the desired destination of asylum seekers. They always have been and they always will be. As the world's population increases so too do the number of asylum seekers. There is a direct correlation between war, dysfunctional states, poverty, ideological and religious disputes and asylum seeker movements.

There are 20 million refugees worldwide and numbers are growing. Climate change, the decline in potable water and arable land will add further pressure on numbers. Rather than trying to sweep the problem under the carpet, why doesn't Australia take the initiative and convene an international conference under UN auspices to examine and establish positive responses to what is an ongoing need.

Such a conference might give UNHCR more authority and power to handle the complex issue of asylum seeking and assist in the provision of better outcomes than the poor deal they have become party to with Australia and Malaysia.