Battle looms over mandatory detention

Battle looms over mandatory detention - Immigration - Features - In Depth:

"Mr Howard gave a one word answer: 'No.''"

Hardly a battle and hardly immigration features in depth. There are, however, closed meetings going on. That's not a battle either. That's a barricade. Mr. Georgiou's bill will be withdrawn if he and Mr. Howard can strike an agreement. So that's not a battle either. My only hope is that there are plenty of big players in the field with some clear, intelligent,definite views and that ought to mean we are going to have a proper, open and intense debate about an issue we need to fix. It's something which is reflecting upon all of us. It's something which belongs to all Australians. It is something we need to debate in the open and pretty solidly and get it to the stage where we have a system which works for everyone. The democratic process has some sound and sensible players in the arena. Let the debate commence.