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Why I Support Tony Abbott (And Why You Better Too!)

Ok, I’m not a dual citizen, so I’m pretty safe from the new laws going through Parliament. (I’d refer to them as “the new Bill”, but that sounds a bit like “the real Julia” and may start a whole conversation about how hopeless Bill Shorten is. I mean, one media article I read pointed out that his approval rating was 28%, which is almost as low as Abbott’s, and I’m aware that just saying the word “Bill” or “Shorten” may send the whole discussion off in a totally different direction.)

But looking at the three new categories which will automatically strip a dual national of their citizenship, they seem fair enough to any fair-minded, fair dinkum Aussie. (I am using the word “fair” here to mean “impartial” as opposed to “dark”. In much the same way that the Nazis used the word “Fair”, while Fox News’ motto “Fair and Balanced” may or may not refer to their use of blondes.)

They are:

1. Fighting for a terrorist organisation

2. Convictions for offences such as treason, espionage (does that include the fact that I said that I “spied” something in the paper the other day?) and parking in a no standing zone.

3. Acting inconsistently with your allegiance to Australia

Now, nobody could argue with the first one. After all, if one joins IS, Greenpeace or PETA what can one expect? Although the current government’s suggestion that the laws could be applied retrospectively does make one a little toey. Could they, for example, declare the Boy Scouts a terrorist organisation, and thousands of people who did little more than learn to tie a few knots be caught up because of ASIO’s concern that rope may be used to hold people hostage?

As for the second, I find it a relief that one has to be convicted for these offences. The way Mr Abbott was speaking the other day, it sounded like he thought that conviction was way too hard, because courts demand things like “evidence” and it can be hard collecting evidence. There are times when you just know a person is guilty and the need for a trial is silly. Even David Hicks, it seems, would have been found not guilty by a court. There are heaps more examples: Dr Haneef, Lindy Chamberlain. Gough Whitlam. (I’m not even going to mention that guy on the ABC the other night because apparently he’s consulting a lawyer over the fact that Mr Pyne refered to him as a “convicted terrorist”)

But it’s the third that I find most troubling, because, after all, it’s only a matter of time before the government says that we have this terrible situation where we can deport dual nationals but we’re powerless to act against our own citizens for doing exactly the same unpatriotic things that those heathen foreigner Australian dual citizens are doing. So while I support Tony Abbott and his government 100% in everything they do, because nobody can question my 100% ten flag allegiance (is ten flags enough? should I have twenty?), I do have the following questions – not criticisms, mind you, clarifications, because as we all know, criticism is showing a lack of allegiance.

  • Is the holding of dual citizenship automatically inconsistent with one’s allegiance to Australia? I mean, go into the Collingwood members and tell them that while you’re a member, you also hold Carlton membership and see what happens. (Just look at the kerfuffle around Bill Shorten’s changing of football team allegiance and he did that well before he was elected to Parliament and not recently as some press reports suggested!)
  • Does barracking for Greece, Italy, Holland, Brazil or any other team at the World Cup in games against Australia leave you vulnerable under the idea of acting inconsistently with your allegiance to Australia? And given that the loss of citizenship is automatic, will there be large battalions of police at any soccer game played in Australia ready to swoop on those with foreign colours? Even if the game is a so-called “friendly”?
  • Will the directors of Australian companies have their citizenship revoked if it’s found that they imported workers on 457 visas when there were locals available for the same job?
  • Are there any dual nationals working for the ABC or on its board who could lose their citizenship now that Mr Abbott has asked them which side their on?
  • And, finally, is the fact that the PM needs to ask which side you’re on, enough to have one’s consistency with one’s allegiance considered proven. Or not proven, because it doesn’t have to proven in a court of law. It’s enough that you’ve acted inconsistently. So does the fact that your allegiance – like the ABC’s – isn’t clear mean that you’ve automatically forfeited your citizenship.

Of course, allowing Holden to go out of business could be considered a lack of allegiance to Australia, but only by the sort of left wing lych mob that deserve to be sent back where they came from even if we have to go back to the First Fleet to find out where it was! What we can do about the indigenous population, I don’t know!

Now I was going to spend today taking about Scott Morrison’s idea that getting a job was a great “prescription” for mental health problems and ask him while his government is good at writing out such “prescriptions” where are the chemists where one can get them filled. I also thought that the idea that was “leaked” and denied about rich parents paying for their free education deserved a long examination, both from an education point of view and from the idea that this government is very good at taking our taxes and then telling us that any services we get back in return are “free”. Still we do have a “budget emergency”, or has that passed? And I did want to make sure that everybody had noticed that even the announcement of the new reduced renewable energy target which allows the burning of wood to be considered part of the renewable energy mix was followed by the announcement of a $450 million wind farm.

But no, I spent my whole time talking about the citizenship thing. And terrorism. And Bill Shorten.

Mm, yep, it seems I am on Abbott’s side, because I suspect that’s exactly what he wants me to be talking about.

 

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11 comments

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  1. AndrewL

    It beggars belief that so many politicians pass these “security” bills through parliament with no scrutiny. They are happy to accept George Brandis’ word that these new laws will not be used for purposes you have outlined. But why make the wording so broad as to not rule out the possibility of banishing a person who might associate with Greenpeace (eco-warriors at war with LNP donators), Landcare Australia, Lock the Gate to name a few, all of which would fit the characterization of acting against the interests of Australia under Mr Abbott’s definition. I shudder to think of the danger of giving facists like Dutton, Brandis and Abbott the power to decide people’s allegiances particularly if they are based on data provided by ASIS or ASIO when those organizations can’t even stop the Haron Monis’s here from wreaking havoc.

    And Rossleigh, it is getting harder to discern sarcasm from reality in the current political environment.

  2. Kaye Lee

    In 1976, while at University, Tony Abbott kicked in a glass panel door after a narrow defeat in the University Senate elections.

    He was also caught by police bending a street sign after passing his economics examination. He had to go to court, however while the offence was proven, no conviction was recorded.

    At the time of these offences involving the destruction of Commonwealth property Abbott was not an Australian citizen.

    Senator WRIGHT (South Australia): My question is to the Attorney-General, regarding the dramatically named Allegiance to Australian citizenship laws. Legal experts today have said that the laws are so broadly drafted that people may lose their citizenship for actions that do not in any way suggest they are disloyal to Australia. Was it the intention of the Abbott government that the laws would allow a person guilty of a minor property crime, with no connection to terrorism, to be exiled from Australia, or is this merely a result of poor drafting by your government?

  3. Diane

    I’m a dual citizen, and will be supporting England in the Ashes (fruitless though that may be!) – should I be worried?

  4. Kaye Lee

    Diane,

    We should ALL be worried. Team Australia is getting more exclusive every day.

  5. mars08

    Diane… you ARE white and Christian, right? You will probably be okay… for now…

  6. Harquebus

    Phew! For a minute there Rossleigh, I thought you were serious.

    Giving and taking away citizenship so easily reduces its value.

  7. Annie B

    Rossleigh –

    As usual, acerbic, funny and …. serious. … Always good to read your take on matters. … the Collingwood / Carlton dual membership thingo had my imagination go into overdrive, and gales of laughter ensued.

    Diane –

    How COULD you ? 😉 …. lol. ….

    I am not a dual citizen ( last time I checked I wasn’t !! ) …. And I DO support England when they play India, West Indies, Sri-Lanka et al. … Oh shoot – that might make me – er – racist ? – but that would pass muster with the government. Yep – that’s ok.

    ……….

    Hey – I wonder if legal representation WILL be permitted when faced with a deportation for whatever the government dreams up next, which will most likely be all nightmares.

    ……….

    p.s. – 10 flags is not nearly enough – no less than 26 will do. …. And he could stride through the centre, parting the flags like a curtain, hesitating slightly with hands on either side over the flags – I can see it now. … would really get all Aussie hearts a-fluttering. 😀 🙁 …

    ( Seem to remember seeing pix of something similar, only the bloke with the flags had a rectangular moustache stuck under his nose. … hmmm. !! )

  8. Annie B

    The “Allegiance to Australia” movement …. is very close to the Patriots Act in America … just a bit of juggling of words and meaning and presto. … Patriots stuff. … A re-invention ?

    Could THIS by why the leader here, did not say one syllable about the Reclaim Australia uproar.? … THEY proclaimed their patriotism, didn’t they. Fell in a hole and reinvented themselves ( haven’t a clue what they are called now ) …. but no doubt the gov’mint are in their corner.

  9. Snow White

    I would be quite happy to deport all those who park in No Standing zones. They are a real and present danger to proper Australians, many times over those terrorists in far off lands.

  10. olddavey

    @Snow White
    June 27, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    We will soon have No Straya and Straya zones to park in. (or not to park in)
    A permit will be issued by ASIO and if you park illegally you will be deported.

  11. eli nes

    at last rossleigh you show it is possible for journalists to push their tongue through their cheek. The talk about politics is as the rabbutt dictates. Little billy is as the rabbutt dictates. Opposition is needed to counter the rabbutt and little billy doesn’t provide it. When nikki savva declares his budget address pathetic, QED????

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