Small island mentality

What is perhaps more shocking than the simple illegality of the plan, are the questions of international obligations, common humanity, basic economics and a seeming lack of any sort of long-term planning. Australia cannot bury its head in the sand and pretend that because it's not sandwiched between 7 other countries it operates outside the global community.

We participate in trade relations, international negotiations, have economies that are clearly inter-dependent and regularly allow citizens to drift back and forth between different countries to pursue leisurely and business ventures. We are relatively happy to allow nearly 60 000 foreign citizens to fly into Australia and stay here illegally. Yet we persecute relentlessly the mere 4,695 asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat in 2010 -2011 – who we have a legal obligation under the Refugee Convention to assess and process. The inconsistency is startling.

Our small island mentality allowed our Government to think it could get away with sending 400 asylum seekers to Malaysia – a country which is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention and has a well-documented history of mistreating asylum seekers. Our small island mentality allowed our Government to think that it would win political points by "sending a signal to voters that the government was getting tough." Getting tough on what? On the most vulnerable and terrified? On those risking their lives by fleeing for safety?

With the effects of climate change already being felt by Australia's closest Pacific island neighbours, like Tuvalu, Australia needs to reassess its treatment of asylum seekers. Australia's archaic and inhumane offshore processing systems and indefinite detention are not only of questionable legality, but will not provide a practical solution to the probably inevitable influx of environmental refugees that countries like Australia will be faced with in the foreseeable future.

Transnational issues like climate change, have international consequences. Australia has to face up to its responsibilities and begin the process of preparing for change, and mitigating potential damage.

Australia has escaped some of the economic trauma many other countries have suffered in the last few years. But that is not license to perpetuate insular and narrow-minded attitudes, or to allow short-term, short-sighted decision making by our leaders.

We have an opportunity, as a country that is prosperous and not densely populated, as a country that is plentiful in natural resources and in solar and wind power, to transition Australia towards a safer and more sustainable future. That means pulling our heads out of the sand, letting go of our irrational fear of vulnerable people in boats and forgoing our dependency on finite, polluting energy sources for clean, renewable options.