Peter Dutton flew to Geneva, without an offer, to talk about the refugee crisis while other countries started taking people in their thousands. I doubt his appearance was heralded by the UN as the arrival of a problem solver. In fact, he had a cheek to show his face there, which probably explains his rapid return. Is there a reason he couldn’t pick up the phone after we had decided what we were prepared to do to help?
Six months ago, in response to a UN report which found that Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers breaches an international anti-torture convention, Tony Abbott, in his usual fashion, blasted the messenger, said ‘stopped the boats’ 50 times in rapid succession, and got in the usual reference to those smuggling enablers, Labor.
“I really think Australians are sick of being lectured to by the United Nations, particularly, particularly given that we have stopped the boats, and by stopping the boats, we have ended the deaths at sea.
I think the UN’s representatives would have a lot more credibility if they were to give some credit to the Australian government for what we’ve been able to achieve in this area
The most humanitarian, the most decent, the most compassionate thing you can do is stop these boats because hundreds, we think about 1200 in fact, drowned at sea during the flourishing of the people smuggling trade under the former government.
The conditions on Manus Island are reasonable under all the circumstances. All of the basic needs of the people on Manus Island are being met and, as I said, I think the UN would be much better served by giving credit to the Australian government for what has been achieved in terms of stopping the boats.”
Has anyone else noticed that, when faced with uncomfortable questions or criticism, this government has adopted the line “I reject/don’t accept the premise of your question.”
Peter Dutton said the government “rejects the views of the special rapporteur that the treatment of illegal maritime arrivals in detention breaches international conventions. Australia is meeting all its international obligations and with other regional nations provides a range of services to people who have attempted to enter Australia illegally.”
I am sure his heartfelt compassion for the plight of asylum seekers was well known when he fronted up in Geneva with his deadpan policeman face, and I am equally sure they recognised the grandstanding and gave him short shrift.
Far from being impressed with stopping the boats, this is how the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, put it recently:
“Those who believe the easy solution is to close doors should forget about it. When a door is closed people will open a window. If the window is closed, people will dig a tunnel. If there is a basic need of survival, a basic need of protection, people will move, whatever obstacles are put in their way – those obstacles will only make their journeys more dramatic.”
The Pope has called on compassion for asylum seekers saying “We have become used to other people’s suffering, it doesn’t concern us, it doesn’t interest us, it’s none of our business.”
Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge said the pontiff would be “appalled” if he visited Manus Island, where asylum seekers are held under a policy he described as “cruel and dehumanising”.
The Australian Catholic Bishops issued a statement condemning the asylum-seeker policies of both sides of politics, describing Australia’s approach as “institutionalised cruelty”.
“Pope Francis would subscribe to that statement that the current policy supported by both sides of politics is morally unacceptable and shames our country and the need for it to be reconsidered is urgent,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“What is puzzling and indeed troubling in all of this is that you have politicians who are not themselves cruel people, quite the contrary, but they are presiding over a policy which has to be named cruel. And this can only happen if those who are seeking refuge on our shores are dehumanised – and that’s the heart of the problem.”
The decision to give the UNHCR an extra $44 million comes on the back of cuts of $3.7 billion to foreign aid.
With the exception of Cambodia, Nepal and Timor-Leste, aid to countries in Asia was cut by 40%. The Pacific and Papua New Guinea were largely spared (only a 5% cut to PNG and 10% cut to Pacific Regional funding). Sub-Saharan Africa was slashed by 70%, and aid to the Middle East was cut by 43% with aid to Iraq being phased out.
This will see Australian aid fall to 0.22% of Gross National Income (a global measure of donor generosity) in 2017-18, the lowest level in Australia’s history. The OECD has a target of 0.7% of GNI which the UK achieved in 2013.
In his campaign speech Abbott said “It’s much easier, after all, to persuade people to do more for others when it doesn’t involve robbing Peter to pay Paul.” But apparently taking with one hand and then giving back less with the other is just fine.
Labor increased the humanitarian intake to 20,000 – the Coalition cut that by 6,250 so taking 12,000 more refugees doesn’t even make up for the cut for the last two years.
Tony Abbott says that Australia is entitled to feel proud of our generosity – except that what he is offering is far less than he took away.
And while thousands of people remain locked up in offshore detention, Australians should feel nothing but shame. They still need our help.
Lest we forget.
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