Dutton stands firm on keeping the borders secure

Sri Lanka’s three-decade war with the Tamil Tiger terrorists has been a boon to bogus refugees (“Sri Lankan boat surge: sixth asylum bid halted”, 2/9).

Ten years after the war, opportunists still try their luck to get in, on the back of the past success. There is no shortage of bleeding hearts who support refugees, genuine or not.

They know nothing of Sri Lanka as it is today, but accuse the nation of discriminating against Tamils. They ignore the progress the country has made in reconciliation.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, as reported in the media, is standing firm. He is acting in the best interests of Australia, not to open the flood gates to another stream of economic refugees.

R. Bandarage, Cottesloe, WA

Having witnessed the successful return of 1500 Sri Lankan illegal refugees (part of the 50,000 who ventured to Australia by boat during Labor prime ministerships), Peter Dutton ought to be applauded, not vilified. for performing his difficult duty.

With Indonesia-based people smugglers intently watching this 10-year saga unravel, it is imperative that all Australians support our Minister at this crucial time.

It has been pointed out to Sri Lankan families that they will be fully entitled to reapply “legally” to return to Australia once they have returned to their homeland.

If we allow emotionally charged activists to eventually overturn court appeal directives, then what hope do we have of ensuring the ultimate sovereignty of our nation’s borders?

Lyle Geyer, Essendon, Vic

The Labor Party still doesn’t get it. It has a very clear choice to make: it can either act in the national interest or continue to live in the fantasy world of the enchanted forest with the Greens.

There may be room for millions of refugees in this magical place, powered by carbon-neutral butterflies, but most Australians want an orderly migration program. This means those who have their appeals to stay dismissed (at great expense to the taxpayers) must leave the country.

The ALP’s grandstanding and virtue-signalling is sending a dangerous message to people smugglers and millions of people who would like to settle in Australia.

Soft borders simply white ant the nation. If the ALP really values social, economic and political cohesion, it must understand the concerns of voters in the seats that matter.

It must act to secure Australia’s long-term national security and leave the echo chambers and posturing to the Greens and their allies.

Glenn Marchant, Pascoe Vale, Vic

Wasn’t Australia always the land of a fair go?

Where have we gone wrong lately?

The Biloela family from Sri Lanka have fled from persecution and personal harm, and have been integrated into a small community in Australia (“Protesters back asylum family”, 2/9). But all of a sudden we found a law in our country that forbids us to treat them like human beings who need our protection. They have been shuffled around in this country and their children have been traumatised, all because we have a government that seems to have lost all humanity.

Ute Mueller, Lapoinya, Tas

It is only this Coalition government that understands that the critical role of a sovereign government is to protect the nation’s borders and to act in the best interests of its own citizens.

Indeed Peter Dutton is spot on to call out the “refugee advocates and Labor opportunists”, who, along with the hand-wringing Greens, cannot be trusted to provide dispassionate border protection. Not now. Not when they were in power. Not ever.

Mandy Macmillan, Singleton, NSW

Despite the repeated warning signs that even the slightest relaxing of our border protection program will encourage illegals, cost the taxpayer more money and increase the security threat to this country, you can bet there will be some MPs who will oppose dropping the ill-conceived and hurriedly executed medivac arrangements.

Labor and their mates the Greens, of course, will lead the way, heart-on-sleeve saying how immoral we would be if we canned the arrangement, but there will also be some amongst the loose cannon Independents who will follow suit.

We get what we ask for, so I hope these people will put their hands up and be accountable for every boat.

John George, Terrigal, NSW