All the commercial channels and talk radio promote a hysterical picture, demonizing the refugees. Only the left-leaning channels like ABC and SBS show the other side of the story.
Your mother should know that thousands of SE Asian refugees came in boats to Australia without queues or prior processing. 20000/year back then compared to a few hundred/year right now. That's what refugees do; they flee persecution with the shirt on their back.
Yes, even with the Vietnamese refugees, there were stories of boat people with suitcases containing gold. and such ridiculously rare incidents were used to paint a false picture of these poor people. The same mischaracterization and demonization is happening now.
As for queues, no one is suggesting they should jump the queue. The only suggestion is that they should be treated humanely and processed onshore into a queue when they arrive. The current detention regime is very cruel.
No offend, but if you think the Current 2012 standard Australian Detention center is inhumane, then you really should live in a Hong Kong Refugee camp in the 60s. Well, at least you got roof over your head now, and a functioning toilet. I still have the photo of the camp my mom took while she is staying there, compare to those, Aussie detention center is a heaven. I will not even bother you with the CHinese Camp (Where you need to first go to before you go to HK by land route)....
How you see things is on each personal prespective, and based on what you have seen in the past. Australian on shore center are humane enough, of course, you cannot compare Australian Detention center in 2012 and the Detention camp in Hong Kong in 1960. However, yo ualso cannot compare the fact that most people back then is legit Refugee compare to current 25% acceptance rate.
What the media do is portrait the Human Trafficking is a horrable bussiness, the problem start with Australia giving too much promise, when you look around the world, there are none other country will give a refugee "Onshore Processing" USA will turn you around when they found you, UK did not accept onshore application anymore so does many EU country, many african immigrant are waiting in place like Ugunda or some Refugee like that to get Process. Only Australia allow onshore processing.
I have no grudge against any refugee, when i was in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Iraqi and Afghanistani help us in performing many task and they risk their life and their family life for us. Everybody have their own problem, we should be disgusted on the fact that people come here illegally, while other wait and put our people at risk. Not where and why he come to Australia.
If you want to come to Australia as a refugee, there are many way you can do it legally. Risking your life and risking other people life to come here by boat is simply not responsibile.
base line is, we should take refugee like eveery other developed country, but we should not tolerate those who want it by breaking or bending our law and put our people at risk.