AUSTRALIANS have always shown compassion when armed conflict has forced large numbers of people to flee their homes.
As the global community faces the biggest movement of people since World War II, Australia has acted the only way it could in accepting 12,000 Syrian refugees. 
The mass displacement of people by civil war is not just Syria's crisis, it is the world's crisis. And while Australia may be a vast distance from the cruel epicentre, we feel deeply for the innocents caught up in the chaos.
Some critics have tried to unfavourably compare the Government's response to the plight of Syrian refugees with what they describe as its "hard-hearted" decision to "stop the boats".
That misses the point. Stopping illegal boat arrivals was about putting people smugglers out of business and preventing deaths at sea.
Deterring illegal boat arrivals has given Australia the capacity to accommodate large numbers of Syrian refugees for resettlement.
The Syrian conflict is complicated, pitting President Bashar al-Assad's regime against a range of groups, including Islamic State. Prime Minister Tony Abbott once described the conflict as "baddies versus baddies".
The Australian Government's decision to join air strikes against IS forces in Syria will be controversial but it is an necessary response. The Royal Australian Air Force is already involved in action against IS in Iraq and will now attack targets over the border in Syria. There are no simple solutions to the protracted civil war in Syria and the emergence of IS.
The effectiveness of the military campaign against IS must be constantly reviewed.However, allowing members of this death cult to continue their march unrestrained is unacceptable.
At the heart of Australia's decision to accept refugees from Syria and to join the airstrike campaign is a belief all people deserve to live in peace, regardless of their religion. The world should always offer help when that right is threatened.Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by The Editor, Sam Weir, 31 Waymouth St, Adelaide, SA ,5000