No one is getting out of Gaza in a hurry. That’s a fact. “Hamas sympathisers” are not lined up at the airport bound for Australia as Mr Dutton might want us to believe. But fostering immigration fear –  no matter what side of politics plays this cheap game – is never concerned with the facts. It’s only and always about votes, as an election approaches. 

Fleeing the hell of Gaza is seeking asylum, finding refuge, escaping trauma, allowing your kids to grow up, discovering peace, staying alive! It’s a human right. As a nation we have opened our arms and hearts many times to some of the world’s most vulnerable – wherever they are from. And the vast majority of these people have made a rich contribution to our diverse nation. 

The reality is, people are not flooding out of Gaza. They simply can’t. It’s very difficult, across the globe, to find safe passage out of a war zone, let alone the carnage of Gaza. 

Australia has granted only 2900 visas since the conflict commenced last October. Of these, only 1300 people have safely arrived in Australia, highlighting how hard it is to leave. 7000 visa applications have been rejected as robust assessment systems do their job. 

Yes, this is a complex, messy issue – immigration policy always is. There are no easy answers. Healthy, considered debate is very appropriate. People will disagree on policy and intake priorities. But playing cheap, fear-based wedge politics helps no one. Both sides of politics have been too quick to play this game in Australia over recent decades. In the current climate, as leaders of Australian security bodies have warned, it’s exacerbating tensions and violence in local communities. But Mr Dutton isn’t heeding the caution from people in offices he used to oversee.

We know many Palestinians yearn for peace. As do many Israelis. Many Palestinians don’t support Hamas’ terror campaign, just like many Israelis don’t support their government’s continuing deadly attacks on Gaza. Continuing to play the Gaza fear card will not help anyone in desperate need of safe refuge. It will not foster compassion in our country. It will stir up division and disunity and lead to cheap headlines and untruths being spun in the media. It will win votes on polling day. 

But it will do absolutely nothing for our nation’s soul. We can be better than this!