The wrong question

#lightthedark

The Government and the Opposition keep talking about boats, and borders, and people smugglers. They're deliberately and continually missing the point.

The problem has never been the boats. The problem has never been porous borders.

There is a global humanitarian crisis of asylum seekers and refugees. Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Syria...

Men, women and children are fleeing for their lives, and a tiny proportion of them are coming to us and asking for our help – this is the problem.

A humanitarian response to a humanitarian crisis is our challenge.

Orange lifeboats may not sink, but nor do they offer protection from persecution, grant work rights, give access to education. Orange lifeboats do not bring freedom.

By turning people away, pushing people back, locking people up, and denying family reunions, we are adding to the humanitarian crisis, not alleviating it. We are saying die somewhere else, fuck off we're full, you are not welcome here.

Safe pathways to Australia. Not imprisonment, not lifeboats bound for Indonesia. Safe pathways. Safe passage. Safe harbour. This is the only answer.

If you think the answer is Stop the Boats, you're asking the wrong fucking question.