THE frequently quoted argument by people hostile to asylum seekers is that boat people who enter Australia are potential terrorists.
The Australian Immigration Department’s figures released on October 28 torpedo this theory.
The figures show that nine out of 10 boat people who reach Australia’s migration zone are granted temporary protection visas (TPVs). In other words, the Australian Government has found these people to be in genuine need of protection.
Terrorists are more likely to enter the country by plane and with a visa from wherever they have arrived.
The latest evidence gives further credence to calls to process asylum seekers within a reasonable period and not to lock them up in isolated detention centres, in some cases for several years.
