Labor finally found enough courage to actually remember we are dealing with people when we talk about the folk living in Hotel California (you can check out any time you want but you can never leave) accommodation on Manus and Nauru.
But let’s not forget that it was actually the courage of the crossbench that got them there.
No doubt Labor is savouring a legislative defeat of the government but I sincerely hope they don’t try to use this to play political games about no confidence in the government. The election will come soon enough and, quite frankly, the government is not improving its image with the passage of time.
We have already been shown that the Coalition intend to make this a big issue but will it resonate with people who are suffering drought, floods and fire? Will offering health treatment to the refugees who we have incarcerated for over five years be resented?
If bringing people here for medical treatment in the past didn’t open the floodgates, then why would it now? Not to mention the millions we would save in the countless unsuccessful court cases the government has prosecuted trying to overrule medical advice and the millions they have already been forced to pay out in compensation.
I have heard Peter Dutton quote specific people smugglers as saying their village was ramping up in anticipation of a change of government. Well could I suggest that he pass that information on to the authorities in Indonesia and Australia so they can keep such people under surveillance and arrest them if they start soliciting or taking payments.
We have boats and aircraft and drones and all manner of personnel deployed to turn back any boats that may attempt to come here.
Why not pay for an advertising campaign in transit countries, not designed to terrify people, but to inform them of the legal ways they can get here?
Why not establish and fund processing centres in transit countries with timely feedback to applicants on the progress of their applications?
Why not increase the humanitarian intake and fly people here?
Why not consult with regions who may be willing to sponsor refugee families in order to revitalise regional areas and encourage decentralisation?
Why not take up the New Zealand offer? (Peter Dutton said on 7:30 report they haven’t ruled it out. Funny, I remember different)
Why not increase foreign aid and development programs, human rights activism, action on climate change and peace initiatives so people didn’t have to flee their homes in the first place?
There are so many positive things we could do to do our share of helping but, instead, we are going to have months of a dishonest dog-whistling scare campaign from a government who has no imagination, no compassion, no ideas and no authority.
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