Australia officially stops pretending to be humane

AMY GRAY wrote:New lows in Australia’s asylum seeker policy

Scott Morrison, Minister for Immigration, has just made it generally impossible for refugees to reach Australia in any capacity.

Now, any refugee in registered after 1 July 2014 under United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Indonesia has been blocked from Australia’s ‘humanitarian programme’. It’s even back dated to really twist that hatred in.

The move impacts thousands of refugees waiting in Indonesia, who live without work or social support. Given there are around 10,000 or so refugees registered with the UNHCR, it forces them to attempt asylum with other countries, prolonging an already long process.

Morrison’s move is designed to stop accepting refugees who head to Indonesia and then seek protection, saying it should “encourage them to seek resettlement in or from countries of first asylum”.

Except that it is often far too dangerous for people in their home country to apply and wait for protection under Australia’s “humanitarian” programme...you know, which is why they are refugees, because they are persecuted, because they are in fear for their life.

Morrison then characterises refugees waiting in Indonesia as ”people seeking to exploit the programme by shopping for resettlement through a transit country”. No, that would be people trying to stay alive and stay safe.

The move effectively makes it impossible for refugees to reach Australia. All because a Minister for Immigration happens to hate immigration and is doing everything he can to treat the world’s most vulnerable the harshest, most brutal and cruelly insensitive treatment possible.

But the realities of this don’t concern Morrison, a man who rarely shows concern over anything. Our treatment of asylum seekers has been nothing short of inhumane, the world has noticed and Morrison doesn’t care - we’ve been called before UN councils, subject to international condemnation, in breach of international agreements and have been reported to the International Criminal Courts for crimes against humanity.

You could argue Scott Morrison’s savagery towards the world’s most vulnerable has reached new lows, but the sad reality is that this is just another milestone as he continues to kick down. People will look on this time in Australia’s history as one of the most brutal and inhuman and feel even more shame at how we have treated asylum seekers. Did Labor contribute to this period of history? Undoubtedly. But so did every one of us for not demanding more compassion and reason from our elected representatives.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on social media. Protests will be coming. And perhaps now is the time to start demanding answers from your local MP - call, write to them, demand answers.

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New lows for Australia’s indigenous population

Because all bad news must be lumped together, we have a chilling snapshot that life is just getting worse for Australia’s First Nation.

A report on indigenous wellbeing has found a huge increase in self-harm, mental health, suicide and incarceration for First Nation people. There has been a 57% increase in adult incarceration in the past 14 years and a staggering 48% increase in hospitalisations for intentional self-harm.

There’s also been a huge reduction in access to clean water, sewerage and electricity, which has been previously reported by 10 Things.

Yes, some things are getting better (education for some, home ownership another on the rise) but when the basic aspects of life - health, security, peace of mind, access to basic amenities and actual survival - are plummeting, we must realise how critically Australia has failed the First Nation.

Meanwhile, the West Australian government are going to close between 100-150 indigenous communities.

... a brother or sister of a U.S. citizen from the Philippines applying for a family-sponsored visas may have been waiting 24 years, as those visas have been oversubscribed, according to the State Department's latest figures. (The wait times don't advance by one month every month, however, and the actual time in line often ends up being longer, explains Dan Kowalski, a Texas-based immigration lawyer.)

Eilzel wrote:Amazing though isn't it- an emigrant to Australia supports a man opposed to immigration to Australia- I imagine if Abbot was making it a nightmare for your friend to emigrate they wouldn't be so favourable ;-)

veya_victaous wrote:

Eilzel wrote:Amazing though isn't it- an emigrant to Australia supports a man opposed to immigration to Australia- I imagine if Abbot was making it a nightmare for your friend to emigrate they wouldn't be so favourable ;-)

the main difference here is that 'currently' it is all focused on 'boat people' refugees, and some argument can be made about queue jumping which is also made by other immigrants like eddies friend    (like i said above i think it is OK and understand that in that situation you do anything to get out of it)
but there is a fair portion of the anti-boat people crowd that are just plain racists

eddie wrote:
I do have a friend who emigrated to Australia a few years back; I think she likes Abbott as quite a few if her Facebook posts are in support of this.
The truth is, some people just simply don't want their countries to change. I don't think it makes them bad people, or necessarily wrong.
I have to be honest, I'd like a big old fat cap on immigration to England. I like a mix of people but in some areas, I'm definitely feeling like the minority - and that's not right, when it's your own country.....

Eilzel wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:

the main difference here is that 'currently' it is all focused on 'boat people' refugees, and some argument can be made about queue jumping which is also made by other immigrants like eddies friend    (like i said above i think it is OK and understand that in that situation you do anything to get out of it)
but there is a fair portion of the anti-boat people crowd that are just plain racists

Agreed, they don't like the skin tone of those on the boats so they treat them differently. It is kind of repulsive actually that so much anger is focused on those who have suffered so much already in life that they see risking their lives to live in a country where there will be intolerance from a sizeable number of people.

Where is the compassion? Especially in a place like Australia with many resources and vast amounts of 'space' as it were (compared to many European countries) and as you say, a place with a history (very recent history) of being a place filled with people from other parts of the world.

^Eds I must say, with all respect to you, I strongly dislike your friends attitude (if indeed she endorses Abbott and his government on this)- she is not Australian, yet would stop people who, unlike her who could have remained in the UK, from coming who are escaping horrible lives in backward nations.

Is people 'not wanting things to change' really more important than giving a home to people who have actually experienced REAL troubles in their life? This is a crappy card to play in the UK, which is a small island with 70 million inhabitants- but in Australia...

eddie wrote:I do have a friend who emigrated to Australia a few years back; I think she likes Abbott as quite a few if her Facebook posts are in support of this.
The truth is, some people just simply don't want their countries to change. I don't think it makes them bad people, or necessarily wrong.
I have to be honest, I'd like a big old fat cap on immigration to England. I like a mix of people but in some areas, I'm definitely feeling like the minority - and that's not right, when it's your own country.....

Brasidas wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:

the main difference here is that 'currently' it is all focused on 'boat people' refugees, and some argument can be made about queue jumping which is also made by other immigrants like eddies friend    (like i said above i think it is OK and understand that in that situation you do anything to get out of it)
but there is a fair portion of the anti-boat people crowd that are just plain racists

Agreed, they don't like the skin tone of those on the boats so they treat them differently. It is kind of repulsive actually that so much anger is focused on those who have suffered so much already in life that they see risking their lives to live in a country where there will be intolerance from a sizeable number of people.

Where is the compassion? Especially in a place like Australia with many resources and vast amounts of 'space' as it were (compared to many European countries) and as you say, a place with a history (very recent history) of being a place filled with people from other parts of the world.

^Eds I must say, with all respect to you, I strongly dislike your friends attitude (if indeed she endorses Abbott and his government on this)- she is not Australian, yet would stop people who, unlike her who could have remained in the UK, from coming who are escaping horrible lives in backward nations.

Is people 'not wanting things to change' really more important than giving a home to people who have actually experienced REAL troubles in their life? This is a crappy card to play in the UK, which is a small island with 70 million inhabitants- but in Australia...

My sentiments exactly, I find it hypocritical she has been allowed the benefit of joining a new nation to then judge if others should be allowed to come. Seriously humans have been migrating for thousands of years and wrongly believe they can deny people wishing to make new lives for themselves off poor concepts.
Humans have a long way to go until the adavance ethically and morally.