Who can forget the rejection by the US
government of the ship carrying hundreds
of refugees from Hitler's Germany in 1939.
Those people were eventually returned to
Germany and sent to Auschwitz [spell corrected] to a certain
death. Does Australia want these refugees
to meet the same fate [sp] by sending them
back to the hell holes of Afganistan??

seems to match my initial take (sans much known detail, of course) - just.. deja vu.

Anyway, thanks for the assorted local takes. It's a problem which all the rich countries face increasingly, as population continues upwards and wealth distribution remains generally, in the world - medieval. And while the various religions (via caste - still rampant in India) and other peculiarities, induce aberrant behavior towards all the other millions with their variants on the theme. Medieval too? or a permanent species derangement?

It's clear that in the end, no matter how assiduously the 'enlightened' groups preach of human rights and reverence for life - that 'reverence' extends to the local clan only somewhat, and much less - to all the others.

We'll all watch the rhetoric play out; see what effect world opinion and image - affect the outcome. (Can't set any precedents for compassion of course; it might attract more tests of its limits.)

Besides, neither Oz nor US could erase the root causes for there being always: refugees from oppressive homo-sap regimes. (And we each have our own local Billys n'Ballys seeking to maintain the local wealth distribution status quo)

End Act 1 Scene 2

A.