Here’s the chart that might change your mind about refugees and our national refugee policy. Despite all the huffing and puffing from our pollies there is no emergency, no crisis in which we are being overrun by refugees. The simple fact is that we have long welcomed refugees at levels similar to those at present, and have indeed often welcomed more into our communities. What’s...
Yesterday the Federal Parliament passed legislation to ‘excise’ the Australian mainland as a migration zone. This means asylum seekers arriving by boat will be denied the right to asylum in Australia. They will not be eligible to apply for any visa and will be subject to the ‘no advantage’ test, which means they will have no speedier granting of asylum here than if they...
My fellow Australians, The last hundred years have witnessed the spread of freedom. We Australians joined the fight against the violent ideology of Nazi Germany. We stood shoulder to shoulder with our allies to conquer the unfreedoms of Communism. We have joined the global resistance to the oppressive vision of contemporary terrorism. The blood of our young men and women was spilled on the...
Yesterday the expert panel set up by the Government released its report on how to prevent deaths of asylum seekers on their way to Australia by boat. The Government is now rushing to pass the recommendations into law. The report recognises that the only lasting solution is cooperation among nations in the region to ensure that all asylum seekers can reach a place of safety, have their claim...
With Parliament set to resume debate on asylum seekers it is worthwhile reminding ourselves of some simple facts. These are drawn from an August 2011 report by the Centre for Policy Development titled A New Approach. Breaking the Stalemate on Refugees and Asylum Seekers. One of the authors, John Menadue, was Secretary of the Department of Immigration during the Fraser Government. 1. Australia has...
A year or so ago I met a group of Burmese refugees living a shadowy existence in Malaysia. I was in Kuala Lumpur for a conference, staying in a large and luxurious hotel suite that was ridiculously cheap. My refugee friends were also living in Kuala Lumpur. They rented a spartan apartment in a seedy apartment block that was just a 10 minute walk from my motel. The monthly rental was almost the...