In reality, it is not our kindness that is misguided, but our perspective which has also become increasingly narrow and one-sided.
Right now, all we are doing is reciprocating the overblown arguments of politicians with an attitude that is both uncompromising and selfish. We hold the mistaken belief that the interests of our country can only be protected if Australia is safeguarded and isolated from perfectly harmless refugees. This irrationality is not of course to be blamed upon the civilians themselves, but upon the Australian Government for exploiting the fears and insecurities of its own people …show more content…
In 2012 the number of asylum seekers entering Australia was the highest to date. However, these 17202 refugees only made up around 1.47 per cent of the asylum seekers in the world. During this time we accepted 190,000 migrants. . The public perception is that asylum seekers crossing into Australia is much higher than this.
Politicians have also succeeded in creating an image that Australia is facing a ‘border protection crisis’ by propagating fear into the hearts of Australians. As a result, a large proportion of Australians approve of the governments' hardline approach to asylum seekers.
Certainly, we should be wary of sustainability and people entering our borders, however at the same time we should not disregard our moral and legal obligations towards refugees. Right now, Australia urgently needs to change its asylum seeker policy to accommodate for refugees who believe that the chance of a better future for themselves and their family is compensation enough for the risks involved on their journey.
Changing the asylum seeker policy not only means raising our refugee limit but also to be less selective, more lenient in the process. Furthermore, funding for regional strategies and cooperation between neighbouring countries and allowing asylum seekers to work while their claims are