Letter to The Editor

To The Australian
The open letter about offshore detention camps by 72 organisations and community groups published as a full page advertisement in your edition of 6/2 excites a number of reflections. Without impugning the good will and humanitarian concern of the signatories, I wonder if they have adequately considered the long-term implications of the action they call for (the immediate bringing to Australia of detainees on Manus Island and Nauru). Far more people want to come to Australia than our infrastructure can accommodate; and excessive numbers of immigrants will lower our quality of life considerably - as can already be seen happening in our largest cities.

We need to persist in policies that will deter prospective illegal immigrants and people smugglers. Toughness of mind is called for to protect our way of life. I also wonder about the propriety of some of the signatories engaging in such a statement, as I believe that some of their own members might have alternative views on the matter.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic