Re: "Australia's story is just beginning. Let's not louse it up. Think Big.":
I would foresee two classes of refugees:
(1) Well-off refugees who pay smugglers between $20,000 and $28,000 (figures from the ABC's 'Big Ideas' program):
They would pay an Entry Tax (of $10,000) to undercut and put the smugglers out of business. They'd pay for a plane seat to eliminate leaky boat drownings and have enough cash left over to pay rent.
(2 Huddled masses of poor refugees:
No entry tax - but a Refugee Levy of 1.5% on taxable Aussie incomes would pay for their airfares and resettlement, English courses, and job-finding training.
To save billions, close the vile Prison Camps and make seeking asylum legal. The Navy would look for Arms and Drug smugglers. But the refugees would by flying overhead to freedom and a new life in Australia.
It can be done if we Think Big. As my old mother used to say:
