Boat People, Refugees, Oz Politicians & Media

[connaust]

Following is an excellent article from Peter van Onselen who has worked for members of The Liberal party, i.e. conservative:

 

Who's afraid of 4500 boatpeople? BOTH of the main political parties are keen to display their toughness on border protection, so much so that they seem to have lost sight of the plight of the people who are trying to make their way here in rickety boats.

 

Why are we so concerned about the 4500 or so boatpeople who have attempted to seek asylum in Australia since the ALP was elected about 2 1/2 years ago?

 

And let's not forget that right now Australia houses about 50,000 visa overstayers, mostly from the US, Britain and China.

 

But the political debate is centred on boatpeople, partly because it plays into people's (inaccurate) fears about hordes of arrivals from underdeveloped countries who threaten our way of life, and partly because opinion polls continue to show that most Australians oppose illegal immigration.

 

Australians shouldn't be afraid of boatpeople trying to come to our country. Our geographical position means that their numbers will always be small compared with refugee migration in other parts of the world.

 

It's time our politicians started to lead public opinion on this issue instead of following it.

 

Bravo, apart from this demonising of refugees, foreigners, students, migrants, etc. it also makes Australians look like followers not leaders..... personally I do not have an opinion on refugees as I see issue as insignificant ... and gets a bit racist....

[Tazztell]

Maybe the Australian public don't want Australia to become like the U.K. i.e. a dumping ground for the economic migrants/dross from poorer countries. If you let a few thousand refugees into Australia now it would open the floodgates to thousands more and all the problems that that would entail. Personally I've no problem with skilled migrants who have a resonable level of English coming to Australia , but I fail to see how a unskilled labourer from some Asian backwater -who only speaks his/her local dialect- can be of benifit to Australia. This isn't being rascist , just pragmatic. Whilst it's tragic that many countries have poor economies and/or poor human rights records , Australia cannot take all their unhappy citizens in. Australian politicians are only reflecting the wishes of the vast majority of its citizens .

[Guest guest30038]

but I fail to see how a unskilled labourer from some Asian backwater -who only speaks his/her local dialect- can be of benifit to Australia.

 

One only has to look at the employees in rural abbatoirs and farms to see how they benefit this country. Many go to areas where "true blue" labour refuses to go.

 

kev

[paulv]

And in the UK, much of our agricultural/factory/cleaning/care work/shop is also done by migrants, as the indigenous population seem to think that this kind of work is somehow below their haughty standards.

Thankfully, the Brits are able to summon themselves down to the Jobcentre to sign on regularly though:mad:

[Guest chris955]

Unskilled labourers are of huge benefit to this country just as they are elsewhere in the world.

As in the UK or America the vast majority of unskilled migrants become useful members of society, the media will of course direct our attention to those who choose crime or bludgeing.

This passage from that article sums it up nicely

'Right-wing American commentator P. J. O'Rourke adopts the sort of thinking about boatpeople that conservatives in this country should consider. He says he can't think of a more hardworking group of people who would contribute to the prosperity of a nation than individuals who are prepared to risk their lives in unsafe boats to get here.'

[Guest shark]

they should get rid off the visa system ,seeing how allot of these boat people don't have to go throw the same visa system as people on here, they should be fair and give us all a free pass into oz.and than when we get in, the Australian taxpayer should house us and feed us ,because its not cheap living down under.

[Guest shark]

 

Maybe the Australian public don't want Australia to become like the U.K. i.e. a dumping ground .

:yes:

[Guest shark]

And in the UK, much of our agricultural/factory/cleaning/care work/shop is also done by migrants, as the indigenous population seem to think that this kind of work is somehow below their haughty standards.

Thankfully, the Brits are able to summon themselves down to the Jobcentre to sign on regularly though:mad:

a lot of migrants summon themselves down to the jobcentre to sign on :mad: and allot off the indigenous population work in agricultural/factory/cleaning/care work/shop.how do you work out that this work is somehow below British people haughty standards:mad: are you trying to say British people are lazy

[dodgy]

It takes the p%ss when everybody else has to jump through hoops, fill out mountains of paperwork and spend thousands of $'s and have medicals etc etc and plough money into the country on housing,furniture, cars etc and these boat people land in australian waters with no skills and get sent to xmas island have there own bed and 3 meals a day get free internet and playstation 3 and are sent out into the community with everything paid for it beggers belief.Give it another 5 yrs and australia is gonna be the same as the uk.:arghh: