“It has not been easy for organised world opinion in the United Nations or elsewhere to act directly in respect of some of the dreadful events which have driven so many people from their own homes and their own fatherland, but at least we can in the most practical fashion show our sympathy for those less fortunate than ourselves who have been the innocent victims of conflicts and upheavals of which in our own land we have been happy enough to know nothing. It is a good thing that Australia should have earned a reputation for a sensitive understanding of the problems of people in other lands; that we should not come to be regarded as people who are detached from the miseries of the world.”Tony uses blame game tactics – everything is Labor’s fault. So when the number of asylum seekers began to increase, Tony blamed Labor. The fact that the number of asylum seekers worldwide was increasing greatly seems to escape his attention. That’s not his concern. And in the ultimate act of cowardice, Labor has chosen to join the dog-whistling, victimising and marginalising these vulnerable people. In 2010, Malcolm Fraser was scathing in his criticism of both parties.
“This is a demeaning debate, it’s a miserable one. It also shows that the politicians who participated in this debate have contempt for all of us, for the majority of the Australian people. They believe that despite all the evidence to the contrary, that if they appeal to the fearful and mean sides of our nature, they will win support.”Sadly, appealing to our fearful and mean sides has become the politics du jour and it is working with a significant section of the community. The Murdoch press has to accept some of the blame for this as well. In waging war against people smugglers, we are punishing their clients, who have turned to us for help – help that we have offered through our membership of the Refugee Convention. The armoury directed at deterring asylum seekers from coming by boat, implemented by Labor and Liberal governments, is astonishing in its extent and ferocity. Most of it achieves nothing other than degrading and in some cases ultimately destroying people’s lives. Deaths at sea have always been a feature of refugee flows. A document prepared for the Australian Cabinet in 1979 estimated that between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of those fleeing in the wake of the Vietnam War drowned. Then, as now, people driven by sheer desperation continued to get on boats. Then, as now, government action stopped the boats. Then, unlike now, people were given an alternative: Australia joined the US, China and Canada to reach an agreement under which each country took substantial numbers of Vietnamese and Vietnam agreed to stop pushing people out of the country. Australian officials, together with those from other countries, processed people in camps in Malaysia and other south-east Asian countries and flew the successful applicants to Australia. Stopping the boats may solve a political problem in Australia but it does so by dumping the issue into other countries’ laps. People smugglers will look for other countries to which to send their clients. Genuine refugees who are deterred from fleeing by Australia’s tough policy run the risk of persecution and worse. Unlike people who arrive by boat in Australia, people who arrive by plane and then seek asylum are not subject to mandatory detention. The number of asylum seekers who arrived by plane in the financial year 2012-13 was 8,308. A recent study commissioned by the Department of Immigration and conducted by the University of Adelaide looked at the economic and social contributions refugees made to Australia. The report found that while refugees face many barriers, they contribute positively to Australian society:
- Many refugees settle in non-metropolitan areas which creates social and economic benefits for regional communities.
- Refugees help meet labour shortages, including in low skill and low paid occupations. They display strong entrepreneurial qualities, with many running small and medium-sized businesses.
- Most refugees and their children show considerable achievement and contribution during their working lifetimes.
- Refugees make significant contributions through volunteering in both the wider community and their own community groups.
- Refugees benefit the wider global community through developing and maintaining economic links with their countries of origin.
- Many of Australia’s successful and respected citizens have been refugees, having fled their home country to escape persecution.
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