Stopping the boats doesn’t stop the deaths

Successive Australian governments have boasted their success at “stopping the boats”  That is, they have stopped the boats arriving: we know they are still setting out, because our navy turn them back.

But are we saving any lives by stopping refugees from getting to Australia?  No, we are not.

Leave aside the refugees who are killed in detention (Reza Berati) or who die of medical neglect in detention (Hamid…

Source: Stopping the boats doesn’t stop the deaths | Julian Burnside