Over the last month, over 200 asylum seekers have drowned at sea on their voyage. If they had been intercepted while at sea, or made landfall, they would have been taken to an island for identification and screening. Those who were rescued were taken to the island. Once interviewed, they could wait some time before getting any residence.
What makes this story different to the Australian experience is the attitude of the receiving country. The asylum seekers were from several African countries and Syria. The rescuing and receiving country was Italy.
Italy is one of the major European countries that receives thousands of asylum seekers and irregular migrants by boat every year. The island of Lampadusa has become a first stop in the assessment process, then people are transferred to Sicily or the mainland of Italy. Permanent resettlement can take some time, but apart from the initial screening they are not detained. Nor are they sent to an impoverished developing country for resettlement.
In fact, when the deaths at sea were reported, the Italian Government announced a day of mourning, and some local towns had their own commemorative events. The Italian president called it a 'slaughter of innocents' and the Pope called it vergogna — shameful, or a disgrace — that so many people died at sea, and that the Navy and coastal services were unable to rescue them. Other small towns have openly welcomed the refugees.
In Australia, the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister refer to such people as 'illegal entrants'. They demonised them in opposition, and now proceed to punish then in government.
In Australia, an initial screening is done before the people are sent to Nauru — an impoverished Pacific island that is unable to care for its own people and is totally dependent on aid — or Papua New Guinea, a mostly undeveloped and traditional village culture lacking basic health and education services for its own people.
After the tragedy at Christmas Island in 2010, Scott Morrison criticised the then Labor Government for offering to pay for the travel costs of families of those who had lost relatives in the tragedy. He later stepped back slightly, saying his comments were right, but not their timing. In Italy, a state funeral for those who died will be held.
In the Australian scenario, those who help the people to travel are prosecuted and given mandatory prison sentences, regardless of their level of culpability. Free advice and legal services will be