What resistance to immigration? We take in plenty of immigrants, through our legal channels. Australia is hardly an all white population; probably the most multiculturally diverse country in the world. We even have investment schemes and working visas set up for immigrants. If other countries view is as xenophobic...and I don't know who these are...perhaps countries who wouldn't be willing to take the boat people either...that's their problem and I could give a fk less.But...I'm pretty sure most countries consider illegal immigrants an issue. Look at America with its border protection policies against Mexico and the south, and almost every sane developed nation against their neighbours.
Putting boat people who are trying to queue jump those taking the legal avenues to seek refuge, into the same category as the latter, is dumb. They are a different kettle of fish, even if their goals are the same.
I'm not interested into turning Australia into the sort of places a lot of the boat people come from, which is what happens when you hve unregulated immigration and burden your economy with thousands of other countries' problems before you fix the many in your own backyard.