Paying for promises
It seems obvious that Joe’s $25 billion promise to cut income tax was made in haste in the hope it could influence the Canning by election because he has no idea how he is going to pay for it – all he knows is that rich people pay too much tax. One wonders if Joe understands the concept of progressive taxation.
As Hockey valiantly tries to get the sick to fix his budget woes by suggesting we need to broaden the base for GST to include health, and Abetz suggests further possible savings could be found in the federal public service (read less services and more unemployment), a quick look at a few recent news articles shows the government’s spending priorities.
- “Australia is projected to subsidise coal, petroleum and gas consumption by $41 billion in 2015, the International Monetary Fund said last month. That is the equivalent of 2 per cent of Australia’s annual economic output. Fairfax Media understands the government has been considering the Adani mine for support under its $5 billion northern Australia infrastructure fund.”
- “Prime Minister Tony Abbott is set to announce a $20 billion plan to build future frigates in Adelaide as the government looks to restore its political fortunes in South Australia.Mr Abbott will guarantee the ships will be built in the South Australian capital as part of an $89 billion naval ship and submarine building program.”
- “An analysis of last year’s budget found that in the 2014-15 financial year, the Australian Government spent $2.91 billion on detention and compliance-related programs for asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat. To put Australia’s spending in perspective, the total expenditure for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2014 was AUD$3.72 billion. “
- “At a stakeholders’ breakfast in Perth on Saturday morning, Mr Abbott announced the $10 million Federal Government contribution towards the $60 million Lathlain Park precinct redevelopment. The project will include a training and administrative facility for West Coast which is expected to become the Eagles’ new headquarters within three years.”
- “The Rich Mates Act amendment bill was introduced to Parliament on Thursday. Billionaires are desirous of an exemption from tax transparency laws, and the government is happy to oblige them because, if they are forced to disclose how much tax they pay, they apparently may be kidnapped. The real reason, however, for the Tax and Superannuation Laws Amendment (Better Targeting the Income Tax Transparency Laws) Bill 2015 is quite shamelessly paraded in the preamble: “These amendments will reduce the compliance costs … the amendments will reduce the need for such private companies to correct probable misinterpretation of the information and to manage reputational risk.” First there was the multinational mates’ deal of last year that sneakily unwound “thin cap” reforms. Now it’s the Rich Mates Amendment.”
It is becoming increasingly difficult to take Joe’s “national conversation” seriously.
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55 comments
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flohri1754 -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Kaye Lee -
Wun Farlung -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Harquebus -
Itsazoosue -
Kaye Lee -
kerri -
stephengb2014 -
silkworm -
David Lewis -
Kaye Lee -
eli nes -
Wally -
Neil of Sydney -
Michael Taylor -
Terry2 -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Neil of Sydney -
Kaye Lee -
Neil of Sydney -
Neil of Sydney -
Kaye Lee -
Michael Taylor -
Kaye Lee -
Lee McGiffen -
Michael Taylor -
Neil of Sydney -
silkworm -
Michael Taylor -
Michael Taylor -
Kaye Lee -
Wally -
Neil of Sydney -
Neil of Sydney -
Matthew Oborne -
Kaye Lee -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Neil of Sydney -
Möbius Ecko -
Möbius Ecko -
Carol Taylor -
Neil of Sydney -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Neil of Sydney -
Wally -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Neil of Sydney -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Möbius Ecko -
Neil of Sydney -
Itsazoosue -
silkworm -
Möbius Ecko
Return to home pageYep …. Quote follow the money Unquote.
Since Abbott, Hockey, Abetz and this reprehensible LNP bunch of degenerates don’t get it, that is, vulnerable people on welfare need extra $ to starve off homelessness, starvation and depression for not knowing how to make ends mean, they are not worth wasting our breath on to seek support.
So, my remedy is that for example, West Coast Eagles should be approached by ACOSS, so that the money Rabid has promised ingratiatingly to the voters of WA for the Canning election, the West Coast Eagles show community leadership and donate ALL that $10 million Federal Government contribution to the most vulnerable Australians.
This is just one example of how those wrongly targeted taxpayer dollars can be diverted to the places where they are needed most.
Liberal Party Real Solutions
Protect rich mates
Protect the fossil fuel industry
Pay whatever it takes to Stop The Boats
Promise everyone that they can build boats sometime next decade and claim the jobs and investment now
Upgrade football grounds before any election
Pay consultants to produce papers
Delay decisions about anything until after the election
Kaye Lee
A thought provoking article that had me reaching for the calculator after I read Jennifer Meyer-Smith’s comment
Another budget saving would be to increase our refugee intake to 50 000 divide the almost $3 000 000 000 spent on dentention and give them all $60 000 dollars to give them a start… Hey Eleventy let’s talk about economic saving and stimulating the economy
I like your thinking Wun Farlung.
The unreality of perpetual compound growth has given one almighty slap to the face of our financial morons and still they will not wake up, Joe Hockey included.
Our multi billion dollar lemon.
“the performance characteristics of the advanced aircraft are inferior to those of 4th-generation aircraft deployed by advanced foreign power like Russia or China”
http://www.infowars.com/f-35-slammed-as-inferior-to-older-american-foreign-fighters/
Thank you, Kaye, for more brain-bending facts. I hope you don’t mind that I posted a link to this article on Mr Hockey’s Facebook page.
Information sharing is what it is all about Itsazoosue 🙂
” One wonders if Joe understands the concept of progressive taxation.”
Well one things for sure he doesn’t get bracket creep even though he thinks he does!
There is no doubt on my mind that tax relef is necessary. But listening to Joe Hckey I think he is talking of tax relief for the upper middle class and the upperclass. Lets face it the promulgated discussion of recent months has been the way that the upper class can minimise their tax burdon in ways that the low and middle classes cannot.
Taxation should be lowered for the low and middle income earners because taxation removes discretionary spending power from this group because they rresent the vast majority of the population. A sector of the population who would spend those discressionary funds in the 85% of small businesses that make up our Australian business prpfile. I say low to middle income earners because I do not believe that the high income earners actually bother where they shop but are more likely to shop at those places where the low to middle income earners cant affored anyway.
anothing that has to be done is that government has to stop spending overseas and spend here internally. Spending overseas just provides wealth to those overseas and enables that country to prosper whilst this country goes further into debt without employing one Australian.
In addition, that spending has to be by government created money not through the RBA and or commercial banks because the RBA and commercial banks will charge interest on money that the country can create free of any interest whatsoever to the government.
The government doesn’t have to raise money from taxes to pay to their super-rich mates. It can create the money out of nothing to do that… according to MMT.
income tax goes down: gst goes up – GST hits the poor…
Tax the mines; tax the banks, tax the polluters.
The Government will provide Defence with $31.9 billion in 2015–16 and $132.6 billion over the Forward Estimates. This is an increase of $9.9 billion over the Forward Estimates when compared to the 2014–15 Budget and represents record expenditure on Defence.
I find ch9 so full of bias that I restrict my am viewing bias to abc breakfast and sunrise.
However, I am staying with an abbuttian friend who watches today.
This morning I saw a blokey autocue reader ask a question of hockey which amounted to:
“Would you like me to listen whilst you tell us about the ‘35000 jobs and growth and can I nod when the camera cuts to me?”
He sushed me when I said to karl baby ask him why unemployment is at a 15 year high?
Then when karlie mentioned the polls. Hockey started in 2000 and 2004 we won over the polls. When I said come on karl baby what about weapons of mass destruction and children overboard lies??
The reaction of my friend was he switched off the tele and let’s go to golf!
believers cannot bruck evidence. QED a swing to the RABBUTT and a disastrous second term especially if he wins the senate.
I think the only creep Joe should be concerned with is his undies creeping up and stopping blood flowing to his brain.
Most people on higher incomes enjoy the benefit of negative gearing, salary sacrifice and perks provided by the company/business and they still get the same amount of tax free income and income taxed at lower rates as the rest of us. The way politicians and the rich speak it would be easy to be fooled into believing that high income earners pay 47% of their entire income in tax when the fact is that many of them probably receive more than the minimum wage in tax free perks. The free lunch is definitely not dead for many!
An analysis of last year’s budget found that in the 2014-15 financial year, the Australian Government spent $2.91 billion on detention
Thanks to the ALP.
There were only 6 asylum seekers in detention in 2007.
We also spent $11B housing the asylum seekers in the 6 years Rudd/Gillard was in power. It takes some gall to blame the Coalition for money spent on asylum seekers Labor locked up.
How many times have you told us that, Neil? One thousand? Two thousand?
Seriously getting sick of hearing it.
The news this morning mentioned that there are 3000 people streaming out of Syria each day, into surrounding countries such as Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon and many are making their way to Europe , some are probably in indefinite detention on Manus or Nauru Islands.
Australia’s response , you pick :
a) offer humanitarian aid
or
b) commence bombing operations on Syria
Terry2,
just in case some misguided LNP Degenerate pollies, advisors and supporters who sneek a look at this site to get their titillating fix of what we smart people are arguing, I’ll pick the correct answer for them and here it is:
a) offer humanitarian aid.
It wasn’t hard LNP Degenerates to work that out!
Better still, close down Manus, Nauru and save those wasted, miserable dollars and put those dollars into homesoil, humane refuges for all legitimate asylum seekers, both here already and those escaping now from Syria.
Better still, close down Manus, Nauru and save those wasted, miserable dollars and put those dollars into homesoil,
And why didn’t Labor do that when they had the power?
This is what the ALP built from 2007-2013
Wickham Point (established in Darwin in 2011)
Curtin (near Derby, WA, reopened in 2010)
Scherger (near Weipa, Queensland, established in 2010)
Yongah Hill (near Northam, WA, established in 2012)
Inverbrackie Alternative Places of Detention opened 2010
Leonora Alternative Place of Detention opened 2010
Port Augusta Immigration Residential Housing reopened 2010″
Manus Island reopened in 2012
WE spent $11B housing the asylum seekers during Labors 6 years in power.
Michael,
It’s also bs
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/Detention#_Toc351535453
It’s also bs
In your link how many of those were asylum seekers? You should have a look at Appendix B: Immigration detainees by category. The largest group appear to be visa overstayers. There are lots of people in detention for various reasons other than asylum seekers.
If you arrive at Mascot airport without a correct visa i think you would be put on the first plane leaving Australia or put into detention. And if you overstay and are caught you will be put into detention.
In case you cannot find Appendix B here is the link
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/Detention#_Toc351535454
Unauthorised boat arrivals in detention for the years 08/09, 09/10, 10/11 were zero, zero and zero. But increased to 14,438 in 11/12 and were the bulk of the people in detention
Do you seriously believe what you write Neil? You are so full of crap it is beyond annoying. Get your facts straight pal.
http://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_departments/parliamentary_library/pubs/bn/2012-2013/boatarrivals#_Toc347230718
I don’t think he believes what he writes. I think he does this deliberately, with the sole aim to annoy.
Two years in to a Coalition government and Neil can’t find one thing to say in admiration of Abbott’s performance. Or can you Neil? I would love to hear your assessment of the Abbott government. I want to hear you sing its praises with the reasons why they are doing so well.
And I know you are right Michael. As has been pointed out before, conversing with Neil is as pointless as playing chess with a pigeon.
Why do you tolerate trolls?
From Neil himself:
So who is he, I wonder?
Do you seriously believe what you write Neil? You are so full of crap it is beyond annoying. Get your facts straight pal.
Well the first link you gave (Appendix A) gives the total number of people in immigration detention. This includes visa overstayers and all people in detention not just asylum seekers.
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/Detention#_Toc351535454
Appendix B gives a breakdown by category. There were only 37 boat people in detention in 07/08. For the next three years numbers are not given. I thought N/A meant zero but i guess it means N/A. This increased to 14,438 in 11/12
And what is wrong with my facts and Appendix B?
Seriously? He said that?
He sure did, Silky. It’s in the link.
You’re talking about Neil, aren’t you Lee? 😉
Meanwhile, in the real world……
What’s in a name? If you’re the newly created Australian Border Force, the answer is about $10 million – splashed on military-style uniforms and thousands of signs at airports and detention centres to create a fresh, hardline image.
The uniform splurge follows recent reports by former detention centre workers that detainees at the Australian-run camp on Nauru have not been provided proper clothing, with parents having to cut holes in their children’s ill-fitting shoes.
Costings supplied to Fairfax Media shows the government spent $6.3 million kitting out 4500 ABF officials with new uniforms, insignia, name badges, buttons and safety helmets.
Veteran public servants were reportedly unhappy at being forced to wear the military-style uniform to work after a lifetime of civilian service.
However a department spokeswoman said the new agency and its law enforcement officers must be “properly attired and well equipped”.
The government spent a further $3.5 million on other rebranding activities such as new livery for 300 vehicles, including boats, helicopters and other aircraft.
New signs were erected at 11 international airports and more than 700 signs were required for seaports, depots, offices and immigration detention facilities.
About 8000 “Border Watch” signs replaced the previous “Customs Watch” signs. Thousands of vessel port and date stamps were also replaced.
Despite the millions of dollars being spent on the ABF, its employees are facing cuts to pay and entitlements, triggering an internal revolt.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/10-million-splurge-to-rename-australian-border-force-20150825-gj7rz2.html#ixzz3jt57o0Sn
Neil of Sydney
Lets assume for a moment you are correct with your facts and figures. Now tap 2.91 x 6 into your calculator and the answer is 17.46.
What does this mean? In one year Abbott and co have spent $2.91b so comparatively over a six year period they would spend $17.46b, considerably more than the $11b you claim Labor spent in 6 years. Just to be sure you understand Labor spent $1.83b a year on asylum seekers compared with LNP spending $2.91b. According to the LNP they have turned back the boats and stemmed the flow of boat people so why is it costing taxpayers nearly double what Labor were spending?
Looking back when Abbott was in opposition he blocked every proposal put forward by Labor to manage illegal immigrants and boat people so he could come out slapping his chest and tell people who gobble up his bullshit as if it is the gospel that he has taken back control of our borders. But don’t worry about the rapes in custody and effects on children they are just boat people.
I think people should arrive in Australia the right way and Labors Malaysian solution (sending the queue jumpers to the end of the line) seemed to have a lot of merit but of course the LNP funded a legal battle that put an end to that. When the LNP committed troops to fight overseas they should have drawn up a contingency plan to address the refugee issue that always occurs when countries are at war. As I understand it through participating in a war we have a legal obligation and an obvious moral obligation to the refugees.
What does this mean? In one year Abbott and co have spent $2.91b so comparatively over a six year period they would spend $17.46b, considerably more than the $11b you claim Labor spent in 6 years.
That is because there were not many boat arrivals in the first year or two of the Rudd govt. Arrivals really exploded in labors last year and the Coalition is left with the mess
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/Detention#_Toc351535454
Appendix B breaks done immigrants in detention
1. Unauthorised boat arrivals
2. Overstayers
3 Cancellation
4. Other
5. Unauthorised air arrivals
6. Fishers
There were only 37 boat people in detention in 07/08 and only 6 in 08/09. But when Rudd abolished the Pacific Solution boat arrivals exploded. There were 14,438 asylum seekers in detention in 11/12
Kaye
An apology would be nice. That link you posted at August 26, 2015 at 9:28 am shows all people in detention not just asylum seekers. You called my comment that their were only 6 asylum seekers in detention around the time Howard lost office BS.
Appendix B gives the breakdown of immigrants in detention. After the Pacific Solution was introduced asylum seekers in detention dropped dramatically. People in detention were mainly visa overstayers and fishers. Not sure what fishers are but i guess they are Indonesian fisherman caught in Australian waters.
so it creates a “mess” when people dont wish to die in war torn countries? I think your moral compass is broken.
An apology would be nice Neil but I am not expecting one
“There were only 6 asylum seekers in detention in 2007.” For starters, asylum seekers can arrive by plane but putting that aside….
Boat arrivals 2006: 6 boats 60 people
Boat arrivals 2007: 5 boats 148 people
Boat arrivals 2008: 7 boats 161 people
“There were only 37 boat people in detention in 07/08 and only 6 in 08/09”
As of November 2008 there were 279 people held in immigration detention in Australia (DIAC 2008b). The total number of people detained at some time during 2006-2007 was 5,485, compared to 8,587 in 2004-2005 (the 12-month period is from July to June). There were 4,718 people taken into immigration detention during 2006-2007, compared with 7,522 in 2004-2005 (DIAC Annual Report 2006-2007). Of the 279 people in immigration detention as of November 2008, 175 were detained as a result of overstaying or breaching the conditions of their visa and 14 were illegal foreign fishers. 34 detainees were unauthorized boat arrivals and 46 were unauthorized air arrivals. 41 of the detainees were seeking asylum or judicial review of a decision in relation to their application for a protection visa (DIAC 2008b).
Neil of Sydney,
you’re arguing over technicalities and statistics. I agree with Matthew Oborne that your moral compass is broken.
You won’t get any argument from me about both the LNP’s and Labor’s failures to treat legitimate asylum seekers with the utmost humanity that is their international legal responsibilities since Australia is a signatory to the Refugee Convention.
Just because you can draw on statistics to denigrate Labor’s stance for deaths at sea under Labor’s watch, this does not excuse by any stretch of the imagination, the deplorable maltreatment of legitimate asylum seekers under the watch of the LNP, most prominently by the ‘war’ criminals, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton.
Yes, shut down Nauru and Manus! Save those billions of wasted taxpayer dollars and implement them into humane resettlement programs on Australian soil.
If we have the money to waste on quasi-military squads in detention centres and sending bombs over Syria, we have the money to provide sanctuary to the people fleeing the war zones.
I suggest that instead of bleating at us on this site, you show some intelligence and contact Peter Dutton’s office and read the riot act that his Department of Immigration and Border Protection needs an immediate overhaul, so that timely and humane processing of legitimate asylum seekers is undertaken.
Probably too hard for LNP tiny minds and that’s why we need an Alliance of progressive, alternative, innovative political voices made up of the Greens, Progressives, sane Independents and selected ethical Labor political forces to conduct the serious business of Australian governance.
Well i meant 6 boat people. But you did say my numbers were BS. I got the 6 boat people from this place.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/04/17/asylum-seekers-the-f
Total number of persons in immigration detention in Australia as of 12 September 2008: 274 — HREOC
Number of these detained people who were unauthorized boat arrivals: 6
My numbers were not BS. Yours were. You posted a link, Appendix A, showing numbers for all people in detention, visa overstayers, fishers etc.
The Abbott government has spent $10m on military style uniforms for Border Force whilst providing substandard and ill fitting clothing for children in detention.
Eleventy Hockey trying to add up again when he was asked about the number of overseas companies that would be required to register for the GST.
http://tinyurl.com/nd5pwgv
Remember the announcement of income tax cuts came on the back of the mess above and Hockey’s statement on the tax cut was universally condemned as a load of incoherent mumbo jumbo with no costings except to maybe sack a huge swath of public servants.
Mobius, on the uniforms, all the while cutting pay and conditions for these same people. I’m sure that those fancy para-military uniforms for Abbott’s Army would readily be traded in for fairer working conditions.
Pay whatever it takes to Stop The Boats
I doubt it takes much money to stop the boats. The wages for the Navy are already being paid. There would be some more costs associated with maintenance.
The main cost is the $11B we spent under Labor and the continuing billions of dollars housing all the asylum seekers Labor locked up.
Neil of Sydney,
are you an ideas man? If so, start putting some innovative thinking into how to provide humanitarian aide to ALL legitimate asylum seekers by rehousing them on Australian soil within our communities, so that they may contribute to building our society and may contribute to developing a flourishing economy.
Yes, it will take money to feed and house them and yes it will take money to educate their children. But as no doubt you are aware, we can fund those projects out of our own sovereign currency. The more money infiltrated into the system to fund these humanitarian measures, the more money circulates in our society which in turn builds up our economic resources for the general community.
No more wastage of Border Force BullShit with black gestapo uniforms and Transfield’s incompetent and/or unconscionable misappropriation of taxpayer dollars whilst neglecting and brutalising innocent asylum seekers.
Now, get your thinking cap on Neil of Sydney and prove to the good people on AIMN that you are capable of finding positive solutions that meet the needs of a hundred thousand legitimate asylum seekers from Syria plus every other asylum seeker currently under the watch of the Australian Government.
If you try, you might be taken a bit seriously.
Well under Howard we used to take our refugees from UNHCR camps.
Under your system only people with $10,000 and who can make it to Indonesia have a chance. Fact is there are thousands of people willing to take the risky boat trip. Unless we stop the boats the whole system becomes unfair. Only people with money have a chance.
Based on the numbers of boat people just before Labor lost the election we were getting 40,000 boat people/year. That could easily double to 80,000 and continue to explode.
Neil of Sydney
“I doubt it takes much money to stop the boats.”
A couple of bombs would do the trick, once we blow the crap out of a couple of boats no more would be game to head our way.
Just wondering Neil if you consider yourself to be a Christian?
If we didn’t drop bombs on Iraq and Afghanistan there wouldn’t be so many boat people. And how much did the US charge us for the bombs we dropped on their behalf? That was a great stuff up by John Howard, lets go and help America and then give them a financial bonus and pay them for their bombs we use.
Neil of Sydney,
have you ever had any contact with a legitimate asylum seeker confined in detention or contact with their refugee advocate, who knows their dire circumstances before leaving their birthplace or while in inhumane Australian detention?
When you demonstrate that you have empathetic and insightful understanding, I don’t care what statistics you try to use to confound our humanitarian arguments.
Shame on you and your lascivious lords and ladies in the degenerate LNP (and gutless wonders in Labor for that matter too).
I don’t care what statistics you try to use to confound our humanitarian arguments.
But that is my point. There is nothing humanitarian about allowing people in by boat. Under Labors policy they turned our refugee program into a boat race. First here with $10,000 and you are in.
What about Sudanese refugees which we took under Howard? They would have to make a trip from Africa to Indonesia, pay a smuggler $10,000 to get in.
As usual Howard got it right. We stop the boats and take our refugees from UNHCR camps. In an imperfect world it is the best policy amongst a range of bad policies.
I accept your example of Sudanese refugees has some merit, NoS.
I now want you to understand that, despite this alleged orderly way of up-taking orderly asylum seekers, it does not necessarily reflect the panic that is demonstrated by other desperate asylum seekers.
I also want you to understand the unethical and completely unacceptable treatment that has been inflicted upon legitimate asylum seekers who have arrived by boat and whom have been incarcerated in detention, like prisoners despite their legitimate statuses as asylum seekers.
This includes the deliberate delays inflicted upon them for the processing of their claims to refugee status; the outrageous and fallacious ‘turning back the boats’ and ‘on water matters’ of this current LNP Government under the management of both the scurrilous Snot Morrisscum and Peter Muttonhead.
Both LNP frauds are criminal in their management of this portfolio of Immigration and Border Protection and any merit that you might attempt to argue is destroyed by how these ugly examples of homo sapiens have conducted the portfolio.
I want to hear your thoughts on both of these leprous LNP samples, and please pass on my disgust to both of them!
I’ve previously given Neil the facts on the refugees from the UNHCR camps but as usual he ignores anything that doesn’t gel with his anal Labor bashing.
As with nearly everything Howard got it terribly wrong. Indeed his policy was such a failure this Abbott government threw it out.
I want to hear your thoughts on both of these leprous LNP samples, and please pass on my disgust to both of them!
I think Morrison is the refugees only hope. Now the boats have stopped we can now start taking our refugees from UNHCR camps. I really doubt these boat people are refugees. I think most make the trip for economic benefit.
That guy who was killed on Manus Island, Raza Beriti, left his homeland because he could not get a job as an architect
http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/murdered-manus-island-asylum-seeker-was-an-archite
Asylum seeker Reza Berati, who was murdered at a detention centre on Manus Island on 17 February, was an architect……..An Iranian national, the 23-year-old graduated as an architect. But unable to find work, he set out for Australia hoping to further his architectural studies. He had dreamed to settle in Melbourne.
In an imperfect world taking our refugees from camps is the best policy and until shown a better policy that is what i will believe.
Neil of Sydney,
The murdered man’s name is Reza Barati. Why was he held in off-shore detention for six months prior to his murder if it was known that he was not a genuine refugee? Furthermore, if Barati was nothing more than a job-seeker as you believe, why would he choose to stay on Manus Island when it became clear that he was not going to be processed in a timely manner?
The article that you cited did not provide any source for its main assertion. The only source mentioned was his uncle: “According to Barati’s uncle, he had volunteered to teach other detainees how to use computers.” The claim that Reza Barati was an economic refugee is unfounded.
Neil is a Liberal, and the last thing on his mind is humanitarianism, except as a pretense to trick the Left. In fact, he is a psychopath, I believe, with no capacity for empathy whatsover.
You are right silkworm, Neil doesn’t care one iota about the refugees, either boat people or from the UNHCR camps. His only passing thought on them is that they are convenient as one of his very small handful of bashing points on Labor to be raised over and over. He has bought up the UNCHR point many times for a long period now, but every time he refuses to address the facts I raised on refugees who come here through the UNHCR process, yet he is more than happy to bash boat people as being economic refugees when many aren’t, whilst deliberately ignoring the often less than desirable status of those who immigrate here via the camps.
And whilst he’s yet again derailing a topic with one of his small handful of Labor bashing points, the constant and significant failures of this government and its very bereft leader are bypassed. Notice that Neil never ever addresses the considerable failures of the Liberals. But it doesn’t matter as most others are not overlooking them and you only need look through social media and even at the MSM to see those considerable string of failures being perpetually raised. Neil’s rants and head bashing over Labor pale to unimportance in light of that. When you have hard right wingers complaining that the right wing media in this country is biased because they dare publish factual articles on this woeful worst of all time government, then you know how bad this government really is. Nothing Neil raves on about against Labor changes that fact.
History will show that this was the worst government of all time, and if not the worst at least as bad as McMahon’s. Howard’s is also now slowly being added that list of bad governments as even right wing economic commentators are starting to admit Howard screwed it up big time, as the situation we are in is in large part due to Howard’s bad handling of the economy during a period of sustained economic upturn.