Rudd Government's Immigration Changes Mean The End Of Border Security

The Rudd Government's changes to the immigration detention system, announced on July 29th, mean the end of any credible border security system for Australia.

The Government claims "A person who poses no danger to the community will be able to remain in the community while their visa status is resolved", but how do you establish someone is no danger to the community when they arrive with no passport and no visa and therefore no verifiable identity?

Even if they can prove their identity, since it was a previous Labor Government that let Hilaly stay in the country, Labor's track record on deciding who is a danger and who is not gives us no confidence.

Furthermore any assessment of who is a danger to national security should be considered in light of the fact that a survey of university students in Britain by the respected academic think-tank The Centre for Social Cohesion, published this month, found that 28 per cent of muslim students answered "yes" to the question "Is it ever justifiable to kill in the name of religion?" against only one per cent of non-muslim students.

If someone enters the country illegally it is hardly like they will voluntarily give themselves up if the Government's decision after all due process is to deport them.

Then, adding insult to injury, the Government will provide legal assistance and independent reviews to detained asylum seekers that the Australian taxpayers will have to pay for.

Far from the previous Government's "punitive policies" having " brought a great shame on Australia," as the Sydney Morning Herald of July 29th quotes Immigration Minister Evans as saying, our relatively tough system has been the envy of the civilized world and is now being exceeded in severity by many of the countries of Western Europe.

As for the quip by Mr Evans that "Enormous damage has been done to our international reputation" quoted in the same paper, the only damage it did to our reputation was among the fraternity of the people smugglers.

One Nation says no-one but a citizen or someone having resident status has an inalienable right to enter this country and we have the right to keep out anyone who cannot prove beyond doubt they are no risk to us.