Mike Steketee | Misapprehensions, Not Facts, Drive Our Dysfunctional Asylum-Seeker Debate

Mike Steketee looks at Australia's dysfunctional asylum seeker policy and the politics of fear in light of the Malaysia Solution, the High Court injunction, and bipartisan distortions of reality. He finds that the Labor party has long ago stopped trying to educate and lead on this issue, splitting policy from politics.

Mike cites Former Immigration Department head and CPD Director John Menadue, who "estimates that we could save somewhere between $150m and $425m a year by abolishing mandatory detention and releasing asylum-seekers into the community after initial health and security checks, as is the practice in other countries."

To read Mike's full article in The Australian, click here.