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Dog-whistle politics (for a white Australia)

 

Greg Barns, a lawyer and refugee advocate, writes here about new Australian PM Julia Gillard, who took over the country's leadership in an astonishing coup less than two weeks ago, and her position -- announced today --- on asylum-seekers (a subject that always raises its ugly head when an election is looming):

 
Her policy position on asylum seekers announced today, a key feature of which is that Australia palms off its responsibilities to one of the poorest countries in the world, East Timor, and a smaller neighbour that we treat with contempt because we are the big boys in the schoolyard, New Zealand, is as immoral and cruel as the nonsense being peddled by a desperate Opposition.

Politicians of all hues in this country know in their rational minds that asylum seekers are being scapegoated. They realise the issue is a total beat-up. But instead of leading the public opinion of those in marginal seats who have become irrationally fearful they simply pander to it. Today is a sad day for Australian democracy.


And my own 2c worth . . .

The previous waves of boatpeople arriving on Austraiian shores were fleeing the communists in Vietnam, so that was all right. Or, Aussies hadn't been taught to "hate" asylum-seekers yet. Stories were often told of what those people had endured, and how they succeeded, given the chance of a new life in Australia.

 

I would readily concede there is a problem if it could be proven that Asians are exploiting a weakness here to arrive as free immigrants, instead of paying the very large sums required to come here through normal channels. But I haven't seen a shred of such evidence, and you can bet if there was any it would be waved in front of us by those who play the "border security" card. When investigations are done genuine displacement and trauma is always found in cases I've heard of.
Also, in processing through the detention centres something like 95% of those who arrive are eventually accepted as genuine refugees -- although there is an alarming new tendency to send them back if they come from certain countries. eg Afghanistan (believe it or not) and Sri Lanka, cos the government here has done deals with governments with those countries, with mutual benefits.

 

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