We need a real solution for asylum seekers: an Australian solution

In order to prevent the tragic loss of lives at sea we need to invest our focus and energy in tackling the root causes of people’s flight from conflict and persecution and we need to work with our neighbours to strengthen the opportunities for vulnerable people to be protected elsewhere in the region. We must also ensure that we have robust rescue at sea capabilities.

And we need to ensure that Temporary Protection Visas remain an abhorrence of the past. Temporary Protection Visas aggravated the risk of loss of lives at sea, as they enforced the separation of refugee families. Under that regime, women and children seeking to reunite with their husbands, fathers and sons who had been recognised as refugees in Australia largely populated boats headed for Australia. The tragic drowning of 353 people aboard the SIEV-X, the majority of whom were women and children, is a harrowing example.

Upon announcing the abolition of Temporary Protection Visas, the Labor Government explained that it was guided by the principle and conviction that, when people fleeing persecution arrived in Australia, that persecution must end.

At this critical point in time we urgently need a return to moral leadership from both sides of politics. In the national interest, Australia can and must honour its international obligations, the rule of law and the separation of powers as it sets about considering the best ways to restore safety to the lives of vulnerable people while tackling the complex challenges of forced displacement.

We must invest wisely in real solutions. The alternative currently being considered will come at the expense of our values, our reputation, the rule of law and the lives and safety of those that seek our protection. And it is simply heartbreaking.