Boat people response appalling

It is great news that Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) have established a branch on the Central Coast.

The Progressive Labour Party publicly condemned the Border Protection legislation during the 2001 federal election and supported its repeal, then and now.

We congratulate local refugee advocate Mira Wroblesky from Kincumber.

Rural Australians were the first to launch a Refugee Support group in Bowra in 2001 and we were among the first to congratulate them on their courageous initiative.

With 23 million refugees in the world, Australia can do much better than what it has done during and since the Tampa crisis.

For a country that has signed the United Nation Refugee Convention, the response to the boat people has been appalling.

The mendacious policy by the Howard Government has been one of gross political opportunism, insensitivity and inhumanity, plainly un-Australian.

Central Coast voters who support Liberal Party candidates in the forthcoming election would be voting for the continuation of such deplorable policies.

Klaas Woldring, Pearl Beach