It has become really clear that Australia needs to do more to help and save the lives of innocent refugees fleeing the untenable situations in their home countries. It is also clear that more and more people are wanting the Australian government to give this help. Mandatory detention and off shore detention are both incompatible with a humanitarian response to the refugee crisis and with any idea that we are a welcoming country.

While the UK may not have space for refugees due to Katie Hopkins massive head (thank you and apologies to Ben Fletcher – UK) https://www.change.org/p/uk-government-swap-katie-hopkins-for-50-000-refugees , Australia has always had space despite Andrew Bolt’s massive ego. When the world woke to the pictures of Aylan Kurdi face down in the sand, Andrew Bolt’s response was to deny Aylan was a refugee and to blame his father. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/syrian-refugee-crisis-tragic-boy-aylan-kurdi-needs-more-than-tears/story-fni0ffxg-1227515266729

These opinion pieces seek to stifle a proper response to a world-wide issue of why people seek asylum and twist our minds to suit an ultra-right wing political agenda that encourages countries to close their borders. They have little to do with the actual facts and deny the reality that war causes mass refugees and there are many other reasons why people legitimately seek asylum. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/04/aylan-kurdi-refugee-crisis

We cannot truly claim a humanitarian response while Manus Island and Nauru detention centres remain open. They must close for us to have any credibility and to regain some semblance of having a good and decent international reputation. We can’t be a welcoming nation when our first response is incarceration. We have always been a multicultural nation and will greatly benefit from both the arrival of refugees and the exodus of a man who only seeks to sow disharmony.

While Andrew Bolt may find the journey difficult, he shares so much in common with Katie Hopkins that joining her should outweigh his fears of falling off his very flat earth.

Let’s swap Andrew Bolt for 50,000 refugees.

There are many organisations and causes who do wonderful work with welcoming refugees and fighting for their right to live here in safety. Please consider donating to any of the following organisations.

www.asrc.org.au

www.refugeecouncil.org.au

www.amnesty.org.au

www.unrefugees.org.au

www.msf.org.au

www.chuffed.org/project/asylum-seekers-communication-link

www.chuffed.org/project/fund-png-court-challenge-to-manus-island-detention