(CNN) People must wonder what all the fuss is about when the Australian government maintains a hard line on asylum seeker arrivals. After all, as a wealthy island nation with abundant natural resources and a relatively small population, Australia is never going to face the challenges destination nations in other parts of the world must confront. But despite criticisms from the United Nations and various international aid agencies, there is little prospect of a change in policy. The most recent controversy is a stand off between local authorities and 580 asylum seekers hauled up in a decommissioned detention center in Papua New Guinea (PNG).Australia has detained hundreds of men, women and children asylum seekersRecent polls show Australians are in favor of a smaller refugee intake
Even at the height of arrivals years ago when thousands of people were trying to make their way to _ by boat, the flows were modest by world standards. But the mantra of being "tough on border protection" has been an edict both major parties in _ are eager to stick to. The official refugee quota has been lifted as a sop to some Australians concerned about a lack of humanity in government policy, and it makes _ one of the world's most generous nations when it comes to the size and diversity of the intake. But anyone seeking asylum who proactively tries to make their own way to _ won't be assessed. But offshore processing with a blanket refusal to settle refugees in Australia has created a standoff, with genuine refugees left in legal limbo: unable to be settled in _, unwilling (understandably) to be returned to homelands they fled, and in negotiation with the government to find alternative places to settle.