If that is where you are going I wouldn't start from here.

I can't figure out if that saying is from ancient mystic or an Irish joke but it sums up for me where we are with the debate around asylum seekers in this country.


I doubt that anyone in their right mind would accept an offer to take on the job of Immigration Minister tomorrow. The only possible exception might be the current shadow minister, but only because it would mean his side would be warming the seats of treasury benches.


It looks more than likely onshore processing of asylum seekers will be 'forced' upon us by recent High Court decisions and because both sides are more intent on playing politics with the 'non-issue' than working in the better intersts of the nation and our once proud tradition of being a warm hearted and welcoming nation.


This has become a highly emotional and complex issue mostly because of political football, opportunism and the unfortunate fact that fear is easier to sell than common sense policy.


What would I do if I were to be offered the job of Immigration Minister?
The obvious answer is 'Thanks, but no thanks, I don't have a death wish'. However, as I have been self selected, I would start from here:


First thing I would be doing is to separate the whole asylum seeker/refugee issue from border protection. This has nothing to do with border protection. Anyone who thinks that Australia will be invaded by hordes of people in ricketty old wooden fishing vessels is either stuck in some cold war time warp or in the thrall of some cheap spy thriller novel. Get serious folks, when one of those countries to our north decide to invade they will use sturdier craft and they will be in a solid mix of sea and aircraft.


We can still decide who comes to our country and how they get here within some limitations and we will be better at it if we do it with an open heart rather than living in fear of being invaded by red and/or yellow hordes (or any other colour for that matter).


This in the short term is going to be a tough sell but one that has to be done.


Tied in with this we need to explain that this 'problem' is not a big one. Heaps has been written on this. More people are saying it out loud. Anyone with doubts about selling this could take a lesson in history from the late Peter Andren MP by reading this Inside Story article Opposing John Howard on asylum seekers, and winning by Peter Browne. Andren won his rural seat of Calare with an increased majority at the so called 'Tampa Election'


While dealing with those two challenges we also need to change the focus and understanding on the so called People Smugglers. There is no doubt that there are criminal elements involved in the movement of people seeking asylum and there is much debate about whether they are smugglers or providing a much needed service. I don't intend to debate it here and now. What we need to focus on is the real crime of people smuggling. There are people being smuggled into this country for illegal purposes and the victims of these criminals are subject to slave like conditions as prostitutes and in other positions of servitude. This is the people smuggling trade that needs to be smashed and have its' business model broken. You can get loads of info at the Australian Institute of Criminology website including this report: Organised crime and migrant smuggling : Australia and the Asia-Pacific.

Having started from here, where do I go now?
There is a lot more to be done and I would need lot's of advice but here are some of the things I would review early in the piece.

Family Reunion and it's effect on boat arrivals
Without searching for specific evidence lately I have reasonable grounds for believing that one of the major causes for the increase in the numbers of women and children arriving by boat was directly related to the Howard governments clamp down and reductions in the family reunion component of our immigration programme. This needs to be corrected.

Do we need to deter asylum seekers travelling here by boat?
This is a tough one. I don't think there are very many people who are happy when the hear about people losing their lives at sea while attempting the voyage here and from that point of view we should do everything in our power to minimise the number travelling here that way. We also have to accept the fact that no matter what deterences that are put in place some will still attempt to get here that way.

Think about deterances in your own life. If you drive a vehicle how often have you travelled over the speed limit? If you drive over the limit do you slow down as you approach a speed camera and then pick up speed again once out of sight of the camera? I have spoken with people involved in the area and seen data that shows that even as close as 200 metres before a speed camera there are a number of speeding vehicles and more than the number caught by the camera.

It looks as though we may not get to find out but the Malaysia people swap may have acted as a deterant and an effect on boat arrivals in the short term but I suspect it would not have stopped the flow completely. Certainly not in the medium term.

What sort of numbers can we handle?
Personally I am ambivalent about the numbers though it does seem we may need to increase our intake. If we do increase it will need to be handled with care but if we have done our 'sales job' on border protection etc. properly it will be less of a challenge.

Medium and long term solutions
There is now doubt we need to work within in the region to change the dynamics of the problem of displaced persons and the Bali Process is important and we must continue to support it and work with other participants to improve the situation.

Taking off my pretend ministers hat and being me again I must say I have had problems with with the government's proposals around the Malaysia Solution. After listening to Erika Feller, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection on Radio National's Sunday Profile I have changed some of my thinking. It is well worth listening to. If you would rather read it you will find the transcript here.
Finding reasonable discussion or reporting on the issue is not easy but I am encouraged that one of our finest journalists George Megalogenis is set to write a piece on the topic and has opened his blog for discussion on the topic. There is some pretty good commentary there.

The big question is: Would you take on the job?