Stopping the boats? Only if we cooperate with our neighbours

John Buckley, formerly Australia's Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues, stresses that Australia cannot cope with irregular migration on its own.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are already particularly important in controlling the flow of asylum seekers to Australia, but receive very little credit. As the government grapples for a solution to the current impasse, what does the debate say about our relationships in the region?  

This essay was published in the Financial Review on 14 August 2012.