Labor and the Coalition are both going to turn back refugee boats.

By doing so, they will (incidentally) be committing the crime of people smuggling, contrary to section 73 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. But who cares if we engage in criminal offences in order to close our doors to refugees?

The trouble is that a lot of MPs simply do not understand what they are going along with.  I urge you to write to Federal MPs to see how much they actually know.  If they don’t answer, you can assume they don’t know.  They probably will not answer.  Keep a record of the responses you get. Send the results to me. We will show up the MPs who do not even have enough manners to answer the questions.

Here is a discussion about the letter-writing experience of a very dedicated person from Niddrie.  It is really useful to get this sort of information, so please let me know how you go.

I urge you to write to your local Federal MP, and to the candidate of the opposite major party.  And if you have the energy, write to other Federal MPs.

There are some things you need to bear in mind if you write to MPs:

1. Don’t tell them what you think: they are not listening.
2. Ask just one or two questions.
3. Ask questions which are directed to finding out what they know.  If they pass the letter to someone else to answer (eg, the Minister or Shadow Minister, you will see they are not willing to give their own opinion.
4. Keep the letter really SHORT.  It is harder for them to disguise the fact that their response is not an answer to your question.

The ideal letter goes something like this:

“Dear X

I am a voter in [your electorate].

Do you think boat people are “illegal”?  If so, what offence do they commit?

Your faithfully…”

If you get a reply, it will probably be a couple of pages of waffle which does not answer your questions, but recites their party’s policy.  So write again, something like this:

“Dear X

I am still a voter in [your electorate].  thank you for your letter, but it did not answer my questions. Here they are again:

Do you think boat people are “illegal”?  If so, what offence do they commit?

Yours faithfully…”

Keep at them.

If they duck your questions more than 3 times, you can assume that they either can’t answer your questions (so do not even consider voting for them) or they know the answer and are too embarrassed by the facts.

Follow this link to find the names and contact details of Federal MPs

Kate had a good idea: form a social group; get together once a week to write letters; compare responses you have received; make it an enjoyable social event.  This way, you will (between you) write lots of letters.

Here are some sample questions you can ask:

• Do you think people who arrive by boat to seek asylum in Australia are “illegal”?  If so, what offence do they commit?
• Are you worried about boat people drowning?  If so, do you think it is alright to punish the ones who do not drown?
• Do you think boat people in Nauru and Manus Island are treated humanely?
• Do you think it is OK to put children in immigration detention?  Is it OK to have children held on Nauru?
• In your opinion, what is the maximum time a refugee child should spend on Nauru?
• What is the average number of boat people who have come to Australia each year in the past 40 years?  What is the average number of permanent new migrants who have come to Australia each year in the past 40 years?
• Do you believe people who seek asylum in Australia should be detained indefinitely?
• Do you believe indefinite detention of asylum seekers is humane?
• Do you believe people who seek asylum in Australia should be taken against their will to Nauru or Manus Island?
• Do you believe people who seek asylum in Australia and are held in Nauru or Manus Island are treated humanely?  If yes, in what way is that a deterrent?
• Do you think it is acceptable to treat boat people harshly in order to deter others from seeking asylum in Australia?
• Do you know how much offshore detention costs per person, per year?  If so, how much?
• What is the average time boat people spend in detention?
• Do you think there is a “queue” for refugees?  If so, where is it?
• Do you support the idea of turning back asylum seeker boats?  If so, have you checked whether turning back asylum seeker boats breaches section 73 of the commonwealth Criminal Code?  Does it?
• Are you worried about boat people drowning?  If so, how many people have drowned in boats that have been turned back?
• In your opinion, could we process asylum claims in Malaysia or Indonesia and safely resettle people who are assessed as refugees?
• Do you think we need to be protected from boat people?  If so, what risk do they present?
• Do you think we need to be protected from children who come to Australia as boat people? If so, what risk are they to us?

The more people who write to MPs, the sooner they will wake up to the facts: we are treating refugees cruelly, and it is utterly pointless.

Follow this link to find the names and contact details of Federal MPs