Asylum Seekers

[TimF]

Julian Burnside reminds us that only a handful of boat people roll up every year and that at the current rate, it would take 30 years to fill the MCG.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politic...-ruyl.html

[Heidi1]

OH GOD, I LOVE YOU TimF! I'm sorry, I must be getting disillusioned when I get this surprised/excited by someone on this board who actually knows who Julian Burnside is. Have you heard him speak? He is an exceptional man.

But A Current Affair tells us every evening that these boat people (sorry terrorists) are swamping us, it MUST be true! You know it is a government conspiracy, if you don't wear your tinfoil hat, they really CAN read your thoughts.

[Madmax]

OH GOD, I LOVE YOU TimF! I'm sorry, I must be getting disillusioned when I get this surprised/excited by someone on this board who actually knows who Julian Burnside is. Have you heard him speak? He is an exceptional man.

But A Current Affair tells us every evening that these boat people (sorry terrorists) are swamping us, it MUST be true! You know it is a government conspiracy, if you don't wear your tinfoil hat, they really CAN read your thoughts.

You can borrow my spare hat for those full moon nights Heids

[Heidi1]

Do you have the matching belt so they can't take your kidneys? I'm only borrowing yours if I can acessorise!

[Madmax]

Do you have the matching belt so they can't take your kidneys? I'm only borrowing yours if I can acessorise!

I pledged my kidneys to Jack Daniels years ago mate. You'll have to fight them for a share!

[Throwdown!]

The media keeps mixing 3 or 4 issues into one for the sake of getting noticed through sensationalist nonsense. They know much of what they say is stupid, but all is fair in the ratings war.

As an example; if your country offers others asylum (and Australia does) then all a refugee has to do is make it to your country. That is NOT illegal immigration, that is seeking asylum. They then have to show that they are escaping persecution. These are international regulations that Australia has signed up to and nothing to do with current Labor or Liberal Policy.

Many argue that the people smugglers are assisting asylum seekers by getting them to protective countires. There are huge moral questions and debates to be had, but it is incorrect to say a genuine asylum seeker is breaking the law if your country offers asylum.

The UK has a problem in that their welfare system (and some would argue their observance of human rights) is far more generous than the rest of Europe, so asylum seekers want to go there. The regulation states that the FIRST country an asylum seeker arrives at is obliged to provide that protective asylum.

However, asylum seekers arrive in Britain having been ignored in Germany, Holland, France etc... because authorities that catch them being smuggled know the people aren't interested in staying in those countries. France even placed it's open detention centre near the channel tunnel so asylum seekers could get a shower and a feed before walking through the tunnel to the UK. This is bang out of order!

Now consider our situation in a similar way to the UK's. We're surrounded by countries that are not obliged to assist asylum seekers, and we're a huge chunk of rock between what they're escaping and the next best destination - New Zealand. The situation is self-explanatory. If you're escaping persecution and heading South, get a plane or a boat to Australia (unless you can swim it). Unlike the many airline choices available, who is offering sea travel to Australia?!??

If you don't like it you have to get the Politicians to change Australia's status, and that's just not going to happen in a 21st century world.

[1300hayabusa]

OH GOD, I LOVE YOU TimF! I'm sorry, I must be getting disillusioned when I get this surprised/excited by someone on this board who actually knows who Julian Burnside is. Have you heard him speak? He is an exceptional man.

But A Current Affair tells us every evening that these boat people (sorry terrorists) are swamping us, it MUST be true! You know it is a government conspiracy, if you don't wear your tinfoil hat, they really CAN read your thoughts.

+10.Scare tactics by church/goverment has always been a strategy to control their flock or people.There are more illegal aliens coming through the airport than any other entrance in Aus!!!

[ROD]

Julian Burnside reminds us that only a handful of boat people roll up every year and that at the current rate, it would take 30 years to fill the MCG.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politic...-ruyl.html

So thats the problem with AFL today people going to the MCG dont no the rules

[1300hayabusa]

[/quote]
I notice your from Queensland ....come to south aus not to any city but out were the food is grown in the country the place were milk comes out of cows not the carton meat comes from animals not the shop yes it needs water all of it ... water we rely on it the average rain fall here is under 300mm in most places a good area is a rain fall of 500mm a year... we wont need a work force the way its going we wont have jobs we wont have busas, we need a goverment like in Italy they have to do what the people want or what they promise at elections or they get shot, it keeps them honest...yes its a touchy subject refugees buts it like aboriginal funding it needs addressing and fast....... not for more but stopping it...
[/quote]


IM NOT FROM QUEENSLAND I just temporary live there mate!!!!!Where im from(Med/Eu) vegie's,milk, bread,fruit,meat comes from within the EU and if its not fresh its not on my table.Our market in Europe is a 27 country based choice and we try and keep everything from the Eu states and not import most of our shit from china,vietnam etc like here.My point is that problem solving here is a reactive situation,long term plans or forsight are non existent,problems here seem to be given the chance to rise and grow.....than we TRY and fix it!!!!!Prevention is better than cure I believe.Water de-salination has been proven to be cleaner than recyled water for decades but nowhere to be seen here in Aus....at least not where it matters.Your comment on Italian politicians and keeping them honest by shooting them is a bit off whack.Italian politics are so far into corruption especially since Berlusconi is in power,that they have to change party members every 6 months just to save face.This is history repeating itself with asylum seekers,people move vast distances to get away from dangers of war,enviorment or whatever is going on.Its no different than 2-3-4-5000 years ago.....Moses is a long time ago historical example,as is Dafur,Uganda etc!!!!!you catch my drift????.People turn into refugees not from their own choice but through uncontrolable situations.Can you imagine if the Aboriginals demanded their country back and someone with might/power helped them out!!!!!!!!guess who would be the asylum seeker in NZ than???????Lets not forget where you/us all came from and if money/recognition is what the local indigenous people are after than by all means give it to them.....within reason!!!!

[Monkeyfish]

They are all welcome, just leave the shit behind. This country is great (and NZ ) for a reason and that's why they want to come here, don't try and change it. Is that a too simplistic point of view?

[1300hayabusa]

They are all welcome, just leave the shit behind. This country is great (and NZ ) for a reason and that's why they want to come here, don't try and change it. Is that a too simplistic point of view?

good call mate!!!! Realistically things will always change when new influences/people are around or in play and thats what makes a country good/great when it has mixtures of races,ideas and culture.More people like you and your way of thinking is what is needed and less of the redneck racist attitude......top post monkeyfish

[Throwdown!]

I know nothing about the truth concerning our water supply, but I am hearing this argument more and more often;

"Actually the driest continent is antarctica, where it has not rained for over a million years in some places. Australia is the third wettest country on a per capita basis, but the rain does not generally fall where we want it. Nobody wants to pipe water over long distances, yet we have gas pipelines crossing this counrty like spiderwebs! We export water in the form of wheat! It takes 10 tonnes of water to produce one tonne of wheat".

As with roads and trains, politicians have taken money away from infra-structure and used it to get voted back in. Infra-structure planning needs to be planned over a 50 year period with standing Governments obliged to follow on from the previous administration.

There's only one reason why water can't be pumped from where it's falling to where it's not - there aren't enough voters where it's not!

[Monkeyfish]

There's only one reason why water can't be pumped from where it's falling to where it's not - there aren't enough voters where it's not!

.......and when we do get a politician with the guts to suggest bringing water to the drier and/or more populated area they say they will build an open drain/culvert , how many times over would you have lost the final outflow to evaporation? .......ok, diverting from the original subject, sorry.

[Throwdown!]

I think it is the original subject - it's all about how the politicians and the media keep jerking us around on issues like, asylum seekers, water, petrol pricing, the ETS, school rebuilding program, transport, health, supermarket prices etc... etc... The information we're fed is always suspicious.

[Heidi1]

The information we're fed is always suspicious.

Yes, and some people lap up the nonsense because they lack the ability to critically think, so fall for scare tactics. When I was teaching I'd teach the kids to critically think and analyse their sources, get their information from several media. At the time I was told I wasn't teaching them to pass their exams, but they did really well because they weren't just regurgitating what they had been spoon fed.