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Day to Day Politics: It’s all just so obscene

Friday 19 May 2017

It has been known for years that besides the terrible incarceration inflicted on people who have not committed any crime it has been the conservatives intent to make their conditions so deplorable that they just give up.

Bleak and brutal conditions are fashioned so as to break the spirit and dehumanise the individual so that suicide seems the only option. People like Peter Dutton create these environments of self-harm and human despair. The apathy of it is reflected in the faces of the Australian people.

The Guardian reports that:

“Confidential documents from inside Australia’s offshore detention centre on Manus Island reveal bleak and brutal conditions inside, including persistently high rates of self-harm, repeated suicide attempts, regular violent and sexual assaults, and warnings of an emerging culture of drug use by staff and detainees.

Incident reports obtained by the Guardian show that on several occasions, four men in detention on Manus have attempted suicide and self-harm in a single day. In one week, 16 self-harm and suicide attempts were recorded by authorities.”

And did I hear that the Minister has been given $250 million to upgrade his offices.

Rather obscene, I should think.

2 With special counsel appointed to oversee probe Russia’s involvement with Trump American politics is becoming the never-ending scandal story with the President playing a leading role. The justice Department has picked former prosecutor and FBI director Mueller to lead the investigation.

In another emerging scandal it’s now claimed that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation on Capitol Hill in June 2016 with his fellow GOP leaders. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan interjected and stopped the conversation from exploring McCarthy’s assertion, saying: ”No leaks. This is how we know we’re a real family here.”

How ironic it would be if James Comey becomes the man who saved America and the world from the presidencies of both Clinton and Trump.

Will it take the FBI to do what America’s dysfunctional major political parties could not?

Look forward to the next exciting episode of ”The White House Needs a Plumber.”

3 Australia, not to be left behind in the scandal stakes has a major one of its own.

Adam Cranston, the 30-year-old son of deputy tax commissioner Michael Cranston is among nine people arrested over an alleged $165-million fraud syndicate following 30 AFP raids across Sydney on Wednesday.

Turnbull’s comments on the midday news: “it shows the system is working.” Please explain. Not clear for whom the system is working for.

It seems the Australian Taxation Office Deputy Commissioner Michael Cranston is to be charged in connection with an alleged $165 million tax fraud syndicate. Police have described it as one of the biggest white collar fraud investigations in Australian history.

Among the items seized under proceeds of crime were 25 motor vehicles, including luxury cars and racing cars, 12 motorbikes, 18 residential properties, two aircraft, $1 million from a safe deposit box, firearms, jewellery, bottles of Grange wine and artworks.

All a bit obscene, I think.

4 Health funds are apparently overseen by regulators, including APRA, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and made $1.4 billion to April 2017. The funds lobbied heavily for the latest 4.8 per cent increase in premiums to battle what it called the “relentless upward curve of health inflation.”

In 2016, the government waved through a 6 per cent increase, with premiums rising a cumulative 28 per cent since 2012.

A bit obscene, I should think.

5 It seems the people building Australia’s high-speed broadband network, the NBN  has 5000 staff, and is spending more on coffee than all other major government departments and agencies, which have a combined total of about 155,000 staff. $447 thousand on coffee.

An obscene use of taxpayer’s money.

6 It seems Anthony Albanese agrees with my thought that That Bill Shorten should have gone in harder with his budgets reply speech. Yes let the people know that the Liberals are pinching Labor policies.

“We should celebrate our victories,” said Albo.

7 Wage growth figures show that we have entered negative real wage growth where wages are not even matching inflation. The cost of living is now soaring.

Yes, that is obscene.

8 Donald Trump now reckons he is the worst treated politician in history. With apologies to the three who were assinated I hope.

Now that is obscene.

9 Cory Bernardi says Liberals flocking to Australian Conservatives. 700 Have signed on. Don’t laugh. Given the size of the Liberal membership that’s a fair chunk.

My thought for the day:

“John Lord wants to write something positive about Australian politics.”

Is that obscene?

 

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49 comments

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  1. 245179

    It’s obscene that the likes of brandis,cash,kelly,dutton,hinch,abetz,joyce, and and and…….get re elected by their constituents. That’s obscene.

  2. Harquebus

    John Lord.
    You might find this interesting.

    “Trump embodies the essence of this decayed, intellectually bankrupt and immoral world. He is its natural expression. He is the king of the idiots. We are his victims.”
    http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/reign_of_idiots_20170430

    Cheers.

  3. darrel nay

    Thanks John,
    Referring to point 7 which laments stagnant wage growth, I believe the figures actually showed public sector wages slightly out-paced inflation (2.4%) while private sector wages lagged below inflation and only grew by 1.7%. This is typical of a public sector that has shamelessly fallen in love with itself. It’s no wonder millions of Australians are sick of politicians on both sides of the fence who sign off on stealing the hard-earned cash of the private sector and redistributing it to their public sector mates.

    Cheers

  4. darrel nay

    Thanks again John,
    We all need more people like yourself who are prepared to do the legwork to compile the record of corruption in this country.
    I am one of the many Australians busting my butt doing 3 and 4 jobs at a time to try to make a good community for future generations. When I read your evidence of how the public purse is being abused it makes me even more determined to expose these buggers.

    Cheers

  5. Freethinker

    The other day I was talking with a public servant who has a middle management position and told me that this time of the year is when the panic hit in what to do with the “spare money” that have not used due to an overestimated calculations budgeting a project.
    That money have to be used regardless other ways it appears that on the following financial year that departments will have less money.
    Something have to be done about this because there are millions of dollars wasted each year in unnecessary things.
    Just wonder if the case of investing in coffee machines it is related to this problem.

  6. kerrilmail

    If “the system is working” how was $165,000 lost to fraud before the arrests?

  7. darrel nay

    Nice one Freethinker,

    100% agree that this is a big issue. I too have spoken to multiple public sector workers who further claim that fraudulent backdating of the type of budget requests that you mention is commonplace.

    Cheers

  8. wam

    great words today lord!
    this is from a rabbottian on a cruise:

    American media are friggin hopeless!!- just because they all got the election result totally wrong, they are now on a witch hunt to condemn everything Trump does – i think
    he is doing a better job than i expected- ??- Pauline Hanson will be laughing as most Australians are fed up with both Libs and Labour- they spend all their time taking cheap shots at each other- i think
    there may be a shock
    or three at next Fed election- Daz in Ewe land!!

    loved 9
    this is part of one of my lib/nats friend’s emails(most are laughable and worth a read to reinforce the folly of intelligent people caught by belief)
    “For the first time in many months I am struggling to choose a topic for my Weekly Dose of Common Sense. It’s not that there is a lack of subject matter but more that the political scene is so monotonous it’s becoming boring.”

    ps thursday
    What a beaut story and what a lovely gesture from the footie show.
    Jacka should be the most famous name in in Victoria.
    Sadly, Albert, along with Simpson and his donkey, has been forgotten.

  9. helvityni

    What is happening on Manus is inhumane, I can only say that things are pretty bad when Devils are playing God with peoples’ lives, unforgivable. Those devils are inventing crimes that the asylum seekers are supposed to have done…

    Yet we say everything is honkey dory, systems are working just fine whilst $165 million have been defrauded from Australian tax office, un-bloody-believable. We are concerned about Trump’s antics…and threaten to shirt front Putin…

    Let’s clean our own back-yards…

  10. Michael Taylor

    In my experience, that is correct, Freethinker.

    Sometimes a department would do a ‘sweep’: sweep up any spare funds throughout the department if money is needed elsewhere. When there is a warning of a sweep, that’s when everyone races out and buys coffee machines or other useless items. It’s a complete scam.

  11. Terry2

    While this government is patting itself on the back for all the money it has collected from its clamp down on welfare overpayments , look over there and you find a gang of over privileged wankers rorting the tax office of at least $165 million and living the life of Reilly on the taxes deducted from workers’ pay but no passed on to the ATO.

    If these whiz-kids could get away with this amount of money and buy houses, cars, aircraft, jet-skies and all sorts of upmarket watches and jewellery with nobody noticing, there is something very wrong with our taxation surveillance systems : for instance, the rorted money had to be converted into cash – not easy – how was this done ?

  12. Terry2

    On Manus:

    From the leaked report compiled by Wilson Security on the Good Friday shooting affair it is evident that Dutton has been telling lies for political purposes and willfully misleading the parliament and the nation with the intention of smearing the refugees held on Manus.

    He should resign immediately or Turnbull should sack him and a full investigation initiated over his mishandling of his portfolio.

  13. Halfbreeder

    usa gov now says each f-35 joint strike fighter costs $US290 mill. usa has ordered 1800 of them. THAT IS OBSCENE! Aust gov still claiming each one costs $AU90 mill and Aust has order 72 of them. Its is OBSCENE THAT THE LNP GOV ARE LYING ABOUT THE TRUE COST OF THESE PLANES BUT THE DECLARED COST IS ALSO OBSCENE!

  14. Hettie Lynch

    Terry 2, what you say is absolutely correct. However,

    1 the Coalition has only a one seat majority and can’t afford to lose Dixon.

    That’s obscene

    2 Dutton is a factional leader for the Right Wing nut jobs. Waffles dare not sack him because to do so would cost him his own job.

    That’s obscene

    3 The Coalition, having no moral compass and a profound conviction that they are both born to rule and incapable of doing anything wrong, do not recognise the unmitigated evil that Dutton commits.

    That’s utterly obscene.

  15. darrel nay

    reply for Halfbreeder,
    I believe the original price on the F-35 was about $US350M until Trump negotiated the price down thereby saving Australians hundreds of millions in the long-run. I guess I am agreeing with you that the costs and the lying are a joke but at least the joke won’t cost us quite as much now – small mercies.

    Cheers

  16. pierre wilkinson

    Terry2 if all ministers guilty of corruption, collusion and general incompetence were investigated, we would not have even the current pretense of government…. probably a good thing considering the woeful performance of these smug bastards.

  17. Halfbreeder

    darrel. aust gov is still budgeting for $au90 mill each. yes? Not the true price?

  18. Halfbreeder

    terry 2. apparently the wizz kids found a loop hole in the system that allowed amounts below a certain amount to slip through. they used ordinary bank accounts to deposit many small amounts that when combined made up a large amount. simple to convert small amounts to cash. just go to a bank and withdraw it or make a loan against it or against securities bought with it.

  19. Frank Smith

    Dutton is the personification of evil. And Turnbull’s failure to rid his Government of this inhumane individual serves to align himself with this disgusting thug. As more information leaks from Manus and Nauru, Dutton is becoming directly comparable to Himmler. Such people need to be tried for crimes against humanity. Obscene indeed!

  20. Florence nee Fedup

    I wonder how many more pulling same stunt. 3 assistant commissioners not bad in any drive has to be a record. I wonder who were the wealthy parents that bailed the rest of the 9.

  21. Terry2

    burniebob

    The difficulty is getting factual information on what is going on. Greens immigration spokesman Nick McKim travelled to Manus last week to see for himself and said it is “disappointing and frustrating” the Papua New Guinean Government has prevented me from visiting the refugee processing centre on Manus Island”.

    Manus detention centre is supposed to be an ‘open centre’ but still an Australian Senator was barred access and it is probable that it was Dutton who personally intervened to make sure that McKim could not access the open centre.

  22. burniebobthe_b_

    Terry2
    McKims visit and Duttons? response were political tactics by both. We all know McKim had an agenda as does Dutton.If McKim was ridgy all he had to do was go to Maus and speak to any refugees as they left the centre as they have the open gate policy. A mate who works in PNG is in regular contact with refugees almost every day,I still believe an Independent needs to look at both situations Nauru and Manus as reports are slanted to favour personal political biases. an article on SBS
    “It’s the world’s smallest island nation, and most often associated with detention centres
    for asylum seekers, but now Nauru is developing a booming culinary scene, with
    entrepreneurial former detainees founding new businesses and restaurants.
    Coco Cabana has been dishing up authentic Iranian food for six months now.
    The couple behind Café Island have developed a reputation for serving quality food by the
    airport.
    Bondi Beach Restaurant’s highly rated beach-side Lebanese food has been popular with
    Australians on the island.
    As well as establishing their own restaurants, refugees are also working as chefs and
    caterers, or running food delivery services from home.
    Several sources told SBS News that some of the new establishments have been popular among
    Australian diplomats, immigration officials and other Australians working on the island.
    After years of seafood, fast food and Chinese food, Iraqi, Somali, Rohingya, Pakistani,
    Iranian, Lebanese and Bengali cuisines have been a welcome addition to the island.”

  23. guest

    @darrel nay,

    “public sector wages slightly out-paced inflation…while private sector wages lagged behind inflation…”

    What are you saying? That the public sector is overpaid, that inflation is falling, or that the private sector is suffering falling profits or is mean with its payments (except for bank CEOs and others)?

    Or are private sector workers being dudded by not having union representation? I thought individually negotiated wages had been working a treat.

    @helvityni,

    Yet our Foreign Affairs Minister is telling us that international people are not criticising Manus (despite it having been declared illegal and unconstitutional) and have been praising it (despite criticism by UNHCR, Amnesty International and others) – not to mention protests here in Oz against both Manus and Nauru after revelations of crimes against humanity.

    Even now we have negotiations in train with Trump to trade refugees like cattle across the Pacific. I would not be surprised if it comes to nothing, given Trump’s attitude to immigrants – and then what?

  24. Dan

    Yes Turnbulls comment yesterday regarding the System is working is at the very least bewildering. If the System was working all pollies from all parties would agree to a federal ICAC but shows that the truth of a statement made by a friend of mine that Australia has the most democratically elected corrupt government in the world. I do believe there is truth in what he said from the behaviour shown by our malignant rulers. Both sides are guilty but one more so then the other.

  25. Terry2

    burniebob

    On McKim going to Manus, I did think it strange that he didn’t go as part of an Australian government fact finding group. It wouldn’t have been difficult to round up some other Senators and they probably would have had complete access and subsequent media coverage, something that has been entirely lacking.

    As regards the culinary delights of Nauru……….I need to be convinced : the country is bankrupt, the rule of law has collapsed and access by outsiders virtually impossible unless you work for Rupert Murdoch.

    Cheers

  26. paul walter

    Re John Lord’s thought for the day, I have had that m/t feeling for some time. no joy, corrosive..

  27. Freethinker

    Talking about money, waste and incompetence, what you people think about the 2 $1.5 billion “canoes” built in Spain for the navy ?
    The Royal Australian Navy has conceded there might be design faults.

    THE Australian National Audit Office has slammed the federal environment department’s procurement process over the tender to replace Antarctic vessel Aurora Australis. ($529 billion)

    We are doing great, and meanwhile there are no jobs in ship building in Australia

  28. nexusxyz

    The Australian economy is a house of financial cards run by a cadre of dimwitted political clowns that are detached from reality. An Orwellian world where truth is a lie and the JSF works and only costs $90m for each plane.

  29. Freethinker

    Yes, Matters Not, sorry for adding “few” dollars more

  30. Terry2

    Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop currently in New York is upbeat about Australia’s chances of winning a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
    Australia officially launched its campaign with an event at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday (Friday AEST) and Ms Bishop said she had secured “many, many” pledges from nations.

    When asked by reporters if Australia’s record on refugees and asylum seekers was damaging our chances of gaining a seat on the Human Rights Council she said that the only comments made to her were ‘very positive’.

    Now, does this come under the heading of ‘alternative facts’ or ‘fake news’ or perhaps ‘self delusion’.

  31. Kyran

    And the barbaric bastardy continues.

    Even the ABC has started reporting on dutton’s modus operandi.

    “Key points:
    • IHMS internal email says only refugees in serious conditions will be sent to Australia
    • Documents suggest Australian Border Force imposing tough condition
    • Immigration Department says process is managed by Government of Nauru”

    So, what do you do with that? The old side step.

    “When asked about the email, IHMS directed questions to Australia’s Immigration Department.
    The Immigration Department said refugees were eligible for the Government of Nauru Overseas Medical Referral process if required medical services were not available there.
    And they said that process was managed by the Government of Nauru.
    ABC sought a comment from the Government of Nauru, but have not received a reply.”

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-19/document-reveals-only-refugees-at-serious-risk-sent-to-australia/8540410

    If you need a case study, try this one.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-15/nauru-refugee-says-he-has-been-waiting-10-months-for-mri/8526194

    With regard to the burniebobthe_b_ link @ 9.39, the photo was issued by the government of Nauru. The comments listed underneath were nothing short of disgusting. If you want a reality check, try this one.

    Nauru: What do bird poop, the Russian Mafia and Australia’s refugee policy have in common?

    Nauru, with a population of 10,000, occupying 21 sq kilometres, had its population swelled by nearly 20% through its agreement to ‘take our waste’. Nauru, with the distinction of being the most ‘obese’ country in the world, could do worse than diet on imported fast foods. As for their legal system, based on an outdated legal code from friggin Queensland and administered by this dog called Adeang, I can only suggest you goggle his name. It ain’t no paradise. Any suggestion to the contrary simply beggars belief.

    Terry2’s comment @ 9.25 reminded me of those long gone days of ‘Ministerial Codes of Conduct’. Whitlam had one, and exercised it ruthlessly. Howard had one, and watered it down when he kept ‘losing’ ministers. Gillard had one, and didn’t change it. Tiny had one, which mostly rescinded the obligations of Gillard’s one. As best as I can tell, talcum doesn’t have one. There is no prospect that any ministers will be held to account, other than election day.
    For what it’s worth, McKim did meet with refugees, and asylum seekers, and locals, and military, and police, and politicians. His trip there may have been a stunt. Check it out yourself.

    http://nick-mckim.greensmps.org.au/

    As for Terry2’s reference to bishop at the UN, negotiating a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, on behalf of a country that has no regard for human rights, how absurd does it have to get, before you simply call ‘crap’?
    Her previous performances have been exemplary of a minister’s code of conduct. No, not when she brought the boyfriend in. The other one.

    http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4322448.htm

    “John Lord wants to write something positive about Australian politics.”
    Is that obscene?
    Obscene? Not at all. Bloody ambitious. Bloody optimistic. Bloody impossible.
    How can you be positive about Australian politics, when it is bloody barbaric?
    Thank you Mr Lord and commenters. Take care

  32. helvityni

    paul walter, Terry2, Guest and Kyran, not much to be happy about Oz politics at the moment, definitely nothing life affirming for the asylum seekers, keep your beckers up, I’ll try to do the same.

    “Julie Bishop currently in New York is upbeat about Australia’s chances of winning a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.”

    Are we blind and deaf or just heartless…

  33. paul walter

    Julie Bishop? Puhleeeeese no!

  34. burniebobthe_b_

    Kyran
    lower the blood pressure there!
    The photo is of REFUGEES at a Restaurant owned by REFUGEES ,show me where that is wrong no matter who took or posted the pic
    “Nauru, with the distinction of being the most ‘obese’ country in the world,” The people in the photo are neither Naruan in appearance or obese
    Are you saying the Nauru Government “staged” or photoshopped the image?
    proof please
    SBS Australia stated
    “It’s the world’s smallest island nation, and most often associated with detention centres
    for asylum seekers, but now Nauru is developing a booming culinary scene, with
    entrepreneurial former detainees founding new businesses and restaurants.
    Coco Cabana has been dishing up authentic Iranian food for six months now.
    The couple behind Café Island have developed a reputation for serving quality food by the
    airport.
    Bondi Beach Restaurant’s highly rated beach-side Lebanese food has been popular with
    Australians on the island.
    As well as establishing their own restaurants, refugees are also working as chefs and
    caterers, or running food delivery services from home.
    Several sources told SBS News that some of the new establishments have been popular among
    Australian diplomats, immigration officials and other Australians working on the island.
    After years of seafood, fast food and Chinese food, Iraqi, Somali, Rohingya, Pakistani,
    Iranian, Lebanese and Bengali cuisines have been a welcome addition to the island.”

    Do you have any evidence that this is indeed incorrect?

    Kyran-It’s no good foaming at the mouth. This is exactly why I said I believed an INDEPENDENT,I said
    “,I still believe an Independent needs to look at both situations Nauru and Manus as reports are slanted to favour personal political biases.”
    You prove the case that political idealogy and personal beliefs fuel disinformation from both sides
    you said ” It ain’t no paradise. Any suggestion to the contrary simply beggars belief.”
    That is probably the case but the happy campers at the New Years eve party seem ok and the enterprising –
    “Coco Cabana has been dishing up authentic Iranian food for six months now.
    The couple behind Café Island have developed a reputation for serving quality food by the
    airport.
    Bondi Beach Restaurant’s highly rated beach-side Lebanese food has been popular with
    Australians on the island.”
    seem to b getting on with life 😀

  35. paul walter

    burniebob mass manufacturing irrelevancies again? Gee you need to get your shit together mentally when you so obviously avoid the point Kyran makes.

  36. burniebobthe_b_

    paul walter
    more waffle as usual “mass manufacturing irrelevancies again?” don’t make shit up Paul, or ramble 😀

  37. Michael Taylor

    “Julie Bishop currently in New York is upbeat about Australia’s chances of winning a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.”

    We mistreat our Indigenous people. We lock up and abuse asylum seekers. We have cut our foreign aid. We turn a blind eye to the atrocities in West Papua.

  38. Michael Taylor

    Paul Walter is a welcome contributor here, as is Kyran. At least they have something to offer and are respected.

  39. Kaye Lee

    When you go to our government’s travel advice site it says

    “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade does not issue travel advice for Nauru at this time”

    though they do say that “Health authorities declared a dengue outbreak in February 2017. Protect yourself against mosquito bites and take precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes, including by using insect repellent, wearing long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing and ensuring that accommodation is mosquito proof.”

    http://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/pacific/Pages/nauru.aspx

  40. burniebobthe_b_

    Michael Taylor I asked them to back up their statements or produce some evidence to refute the picture and SBS article – paticularly Kyran but to no avail.

    Kaye lee did you check out how many other countries also have denque including ours
    Dengue outbreaks occur annually in north Queensland and residents need to be vigilant to ensure dengue mosquitoes are not breeding on their property.
    https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/topics/infection-control/mosquito-borne-dengue

  41. paul walter

    Thank you for your kind Words, Michael.

    Burniebob, go away, have a look within yourself and ask yourself what it is you do and why you do it. For your own sake. if nobody else’s.

  42. burniebobthe_b_

    paul walter none of that navel gazing crap for me or I’d end up with your philosophy of waffle evade talk rot and kumbaya with the backslapping travelers

  43. Michael Taylor

    So who’s the real navel gazer? In most people’s books it’d be the person who doesn’t believe that asylum seekers are mistreated and who scoffs at climate change.

  44. Johno

    The Adani mine is OBSCENE !!!

  45. Kyran

    Thank you for your concern about my blood pressure, burniebobthe_b_. Don’t worry, it’s just fine.

    My reference to the photo was stating the obvious. It was posted on the Nauruan government website. That, in and of itself, is cause for doubt. Had you bothered to read the link to Ms M’s article, you would have some insight into how preposterous such a notion is. I’m not suggesting it’s fake, staged or shopped. Your reliance on one photo to demonstrate a rosy environment can only be compared with the thousands of photo’s depicting the conditions on Nauru. Not just for the asylum seekers, but for the Nauruan’s as well.
    Just to spell it out for you, the Nauruan government, through Justice Minister Adeang, has waged an information war and has repeatedly used Visa conditions to screen journalists in an attempt to ensure only favourable articles are produced.
    My reference to obesity was also stating the obvious. Nauru has had the highest rate of obesity on the planet for years. This is due to much of the land being ‘dead’ from the years of mining and the population being reliant on the importation of food, most of which has been ‘junk food’.
    With regard to the SBS article, I can only rely on your excerpts as no link is provided.
    “It’s the world’s smallest island nation, and most often associated with detention centres for asylum seekers, but now Nauru is developing a booming culinary scene,…”
    The figures I cited in relation to Nauru’s population and land size were relevant to the extent that any suggestion that the asylum seekers have a future reliant on a hospitality industry is nothing short of ludicrous.
    Whilst the ASRC is a group with an obvious bias, none of their reports have yet been discredited by our government, the Nauruan government or the PNG government.
    This ‘thriving culinary scene’ exists in a poisonous environment.

    “The centre’s conditions are especially harmful to children, as the Australian Human Rights Commission found in their 2014 inquiry into children in detention. The Commission states that “children detained indefinitely on Nauru are suffering from extreme levels of physical, emotional, psychological and developmental distress.”It found that Australia’s transfer of children to Nauru is in breach of several articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children in detention are at high risk of mental illness and self-harm, and do not have access to adequate education and recreational facilities.”

    “detaining a single asylum seeker on Nauru for one year costs more than $400,000.”

    https://www.asrc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Nauru-Offshore-Detention-Centre_April2015.pdf

    With regard to your suggestion that my rabid tendencies should be measured and tempered by an independent enquiry, I could not agree more. That is, after all, the current government’s forte. Enquiry after enquiry after enquiry.
    My point, which was clearly not articulated well enough for you, is that those in our care are dying now. Have your enquiry. Have as many as you like. But bring them here, now. Let the politicians play their silly little games. But stop using those seeking nothing more than our help as pawns.
    For what it’s worth, a new survey has been published showing 72% of those surveyed share that sentiment.

    http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/australians-believe-donald-trump-isnt-good-for-his-word-on-refugee-swap-promise/news-story/3e1c9220c624e8a0114594ef642e68aa

    All of this with a backdrop of Bishop and Ruddock seeking a seat at the UN Human Rights Council.
    “But the Foreign Minister maintains no countries are raising refugee policy during discussions on the bid.
    “Not as a negative at all. It’s been raised in the context of what Australia’s doing to protect its borders and to stem the flow of people trafficking … not in the context of our bid,” she said.
    ‘More engagement, not less’
    There’s a broader question about Australia’s candidacy: why do we want to join the Human Rights Council at all?
    Several countries sitting on it right now — including Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Philippines – have atrocious human rights records. Some advocates say that makes a mockery of the whole body.”

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-20/ruddocks-sales-pitch-australia-un-human-rights-council/8542292

    As an aside, the references to dengue fever by Ms Lee and your responses are equally relevant. Whilst there have been incidents of dengue fever in Australia, we have access to a health system that mitigates the potential damage. On Nauru, they have the IHMS. A woefully inadequate and under resourced medical outpost. That is why dengue is a real problem on Nauru.
    My apologies if the reply was not timely enough for you.
    Take care

  46. Terry2

    Excellent post, Kyran.

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