Australia is known as the "Lucky Country," not least because it doesn't have a land border with a third world country which produces refugees and illegals.

But it does have the attractions of a First World country, including jobs, welfare, health care, and so, which is why you see headlines like Navy intercepts 17th asylum seeker boat, [Sydney Morning Herald, March 1, 2010]

Why are they trying this yet again? The paper presents two views:

A high rate of applicants granted refugee status by the government has led to a 10-fold increase in the number of asylum seekers heading to Australia, the federal opposition says.

Authorities on Christmas Island have begun processing a group of 57 asylum seekers who were intercepted by the navy on Sunday as they approached Christmas Island.

They were aboard the 17th asylum seeker boat to arrive in Australian waters this year.

The government maintains push factors, stemming from various regional conflicts, are to blame for the continued flow of asylum seekers to Australia.

The old government, now in opposition, was conservative, the new one liberal, and this is the predictable result. See Nice Guys Get Illegal Immigrants By John Derbyshire, VDARE.com, September 4, 2001.