The latest tragic loss of lives as asylum seekers literally risk everything to make a better life for their families highlights both the consequences and the absurdity of some of the policy positions adopted by Australian politicians. Politics, like democracy, often has more to do with compromise than with consistency. But building a nation does require some form of cohesion, both between political parties and policy reforms. While it may make for good short-term politics to oppose something because those on the other side proposed it, such an approach makes for terrible long-run policy reform.