Refugee Day Rally & Refugee Week
This Sunday marks the start of Refugee Week, with plenty of events around the country to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution refugees have made and continue to make to our society, culture and economy. I’m speaking at a rally being held in Brisbane Square this Sunday from 1pm to mark World Refugee Day.
I have attended many refugee week events over the years, and they often involve people from a wide spectrum of society, which is a good thing. However, one thing I have found inc0ngruous is seeing politicians attend these events and saying lots of nice things about refugees at they same time as they tolerate and in some cases actively participate in political tactics which deliberately inflame community fear and antagonism towards refugees and asylum seekers.
The Liberal National Party in Brisbane has been doing their bit in the lead up to Refugee Week, seeking to stir up some hatred in the local area around the location of the northside motel where the federal government has placed a number of asylum seeker families.
I’ve written a bit more about it in this piece at Crikey’s website. I have no problem with people having different views to mine about what the best policy approach should be for responding to asylum seekers – all sides of the debate would benefit from acknowledging this matter raises some difficult and challenging issues. But there is no excuse for deliberately inflaming community division and actively impeding the effective settlement of refugees living in our suburbs.
A copy of a leaflet that’s been letterboxed in the area is below.
5 Comments, Comment or Ping
Paul Syvret
Lowest common denominator bile. And misleading to boot. An asylum seeker is not ”illegal”. They have the legal right to come here and apply for asylum/refugee status. They would only be deemed ”illegal” should their application be rejected and they subsequently refused to leave. It disgusts me that we stoop to using people’s lives to play tawdry, populist politics.
Jun 22nd, 2010
togret
When you get the mayor of Port Augusta repeating the “illegal” line .. not sure whether she knows better or not … how can the community be expected to understand this?
Jun 22nd, 2010
Lorikeet
I’ve been speaking with some visa holders who were hoping for permanent residency. They said Rudd has decided to send most of them back where they came from, now that they have outgrown their usefulness.
Apart from that, I’ve had nurses complaining about having to work for 2 whole days without access to disposable gloves, which has put their health at risk. Some are also only getting 2 shifts of work per week, making it difficult to pay their rent. Aged care centres could easily employ them full-time, if they were not so disgustingly greedy.
When I contacted the federal Department of Health & Ageing, they tried to pass the buck to Queensland Health. Now it seems that both health departments have washed their hands of the matter.
Soon we may be seeing visa holders on the queue for Food Bank handouts because they have no money left to pay the grocery bill.
Jun 23rd, 2010
red crab
now you know why the govt is trying to keep them as far away from the east coast as possible .nsw qld and vic is where most of them will end up anyway so why not place them there from the start.
all there support systems are there anyway just makes good sence to me .
why dose the govt keep trying to put them in very remote areas of western and some times south australia..
the govt is rapidly expand the population so why not be up front about it .
i wonder if the govt its self didnot place that ad to find out just who mite cause trouble in the future
place you name here and become an instant racist .
It disgusts me that we stoop to using people’s lives to play tawdry, populist politics
and what has change since the birth of politics.
Jun 24th, 2010
Thanhtu
I’ve been following your blog for a while now Andrew, and I completely agree with you on this subject matter. As Paul mentioned above, asylum seekers are not illegal and should not be subjected in such a demeaning manner by the government.
I’m afraid that one day, the Australian govt will choose to opt to adopt strict immigration laws such as the recent immigration law in Arizona, US, rather than addressing the key problems and finding the solution. Migration does need to be controlled, but the way the govt are going about this issue is apalling. Its events like these, blogs like these, and independent media that will hopefully raise awareness to this issue. The magazine i’m launching in a couple of weeks, hopes to acheive that (http://ifprojectblog.com/).
Keep up the good work Andrew.
Jun 29th, 2010
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