15 myths and facts about refugees

Families in strife-torn areas may sell everything they have to buy a passage out from smugglers.

Many families end up with large debts to the smugglers. A study by the French agency Medecins Sans Frontieres in refugee camps on the Iranian border found that nearly all families were in debt, with members held hostage by smugglers until the debt was paid. (Source: SMH September 14, 2001)

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that payments made to people smugglers range from $4000 to $5000 AUD.

8. The atrocity in New York shows that Australia must stop allowing people from Afghanistan to enter the country "holus bolus".

"Do we in Australia need or want residents or citizens who are part of a religion glorifying or supporting acts like the World Trade Centre?"

Contributors to Margo Kingston’s Webdiary, 14 & 18 September

This distortion of logic and fact that has rapidly become prevalent since the attack on the World Trade Centre and other American targets.

Australia does not allow, and has never allowed, "holus bolus" entry of Afghans or anyone else, as the preceding points amply demonstrate. Nor have any of those who speak on behalf of refugees advocated any such policy.

Most are found to be genuine refugees.

The fact that the recent terrorist attacks may have been committed by people with connections to the Taliban has no relevance to whether or not Australia should admit Afghans.

9. Refugees are too "culturally different" to fit in with the Australian way of life.

This accusation has been labelled at just about every minority immigrant group for the last 150 years, starting with the Chinese during the Gold Rush. It has been claimed of the Catholic Irish, Jews, Greeks, Italians and Vietnamese.

All of those groups have settled successfully in Australia. The process has not always been smooth or easy, but compared with the strife and hatred elsewhere, Australian multiculturalism is a demonstrable success.

At present the emphasis is on Muslims and their "religious fanaticism".