ANDREW Broad does not believe increasing Australia’s intake of asylum seekers will help solve Syria’s refugee crisis, saying the Abbott Government should focus more towards improving stability in Syria instead.
The Member for Mallee weighed in on the unfolding refugee crisis in Europe caused by waves of Syrian asylum seekers entering in by sea, following the image of a lifeless Syrian toddler who washed up on a Turkish shoreline.
Mr Broad said the issue was far too complex for Australia to solve and it should focus what it could do on committing funding to the humanitarian effort and ending the Syrian conflict to resettle displaced Syrians, even if this meant military intervention.
“The question for me is what is best for the people of Syria?” Mr Broad said.
“If you put money into the humanitarian camps so people are fed and looked after; work towards restricting and stopping the conflict there; and have people return to Syria to rebuild their country; I think that should be our focus.”
Mr Broad did, however, say Australians should take in more refugees from Christian minority groups, who were being persecuted by both the Bashar Al-Assad regime and ISIS, and would easily assimilate into Australian society.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (September 9).
