Meg Pickup, Ballina
The architect of Operation Sovereign Borders introduced to break the people smugglers’ business model can now end offshore detention. Boat turnbacks work with 33 boats intercepted since 2013, the last in June 2018. Indefinite detention, the second prong, drives to despair people robbed of all hope of living safely. Many children needing urgent medical treatment have traumatic withdrawal syndrome.
The response? Critically ill people are denied medical evacuation despite court orders. Parents of children with declining mental health are charged with neglect. Self-harm is now a crime. People driven to this are arrested – not given medical assistance. Respected medical personnel are evicted for raising concerns about mental health.
Our government is no different from people smugglers. Its business model pays Nauru $3,000 per refugee per month. Nauru justifies its increasing depravity because it relies on this money. Treating refugees as commodities makes the Australian government complicit in people trafficking. It’s time to break this business model.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
