They seem to think it is enough for them to ask the major parties questions about 'when' their offshore processing centres can be up and running. About the feasibility of the centres being housed in volatile, poverty-stricken, politically unstable governments.
But they neglect to ask real questions about the core of the issue.
People say that the refugee situation in Australia has been discussed and debated to the point of exhaustion, but from what I can see, it's barely been touched at all.
Not once have either of the major parties, or journalists for major news sources, stopped and considered questioning the direction in which both major parties are heading.
Children in detention hasn't even been raised as an issue. According to Immigration Detention Statistics, there were 651 children in detention as of the 22nd July this year:
Fear is disseminated about the arrival of 'illegal', 'unauthorised' refugees, and the parties show a bipartisan lack of humanity when it comes to the people involved.
651.
That's 651 children (under the age of 18), over 92% of whom have been found to be genuine refugees (see also above).
If 651 Australian children were being housed in detention centres overseas, there would be an uproar. But these people have fled their home country, and have no government to act as their advocate.
The parties could demonstrate true leadership by considering options such as an onshore processing of asylum seekers in Australia, which ticks Julia Gillard's 'signatory to the refugee convention' box, as well as being a country with the space, resources, and stability to operate humane community housing for refugees while they are processed.
Instead both parties take Australians for selfish, xenophobic, hate-filled people.
And without journalists taking the ALP or Coalition to task on these assumptions, it would seem that sadly, the two parties are spot on.
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