The Labour party and the Liberal party have in the last decade been engaged in the race to the bottom on the issue of responsibility towards refugees. I didn’t think we could possibly get there, but I believe we have finally plumbed the depths in the pits of heartlessness and political cynicism. We have finally reached rock bottom, with the most appalling policies my worst nightmares did not imagine.
I mean of course, settling refugees to Australia in Cambodia. Australia has for some time neatly sidestepped its own laws and international obligations by keeping asylum seekers in legal limbo by ‘offshore’ processing. Even if it did take some fancy legal footwork to give Christmas Island a different territorial status. Then there is Manus Island as part of New Guinea. Then Nauru. Not to mention failed attempts with East Timor and Malaysia. All these ‘Pacific Solutions’ smack of desperation in Canberra. Not from the magnitude of the problem, but from the domestic political consequences. We have both political parties sabotaging the other’s proposals to gain electoral traction. It’s pathetic.
And now Cambodia. One of the poorest countries in the world least able to look after its own people, let alone the refugees. And don’t think for a moment that the money Australia hands over will go anywhere near the refugees or the Cambodian people. The corruption in that country is notorious even by Asian standards. It is still recovering from Pol Pot and the ‘Killing Fields’. This policy is insanity on steroids.
And what is this policy costing Australia? Heaps.
The respect of our neighbours. We are showing a heartless face to the world and seriously stepping on the toes of nations in our region, especially Indonesia. I could see it on the face of Indonesia’s recent president SBY, after our impetuous leader Tony announced to the world he was sending boats back without even consulting him. This will cost us greatly in the long run. From tourist numbers to negotiation outcomes.
The right to speak up about human rights at any forum such as the UN. We can’t hope to be taken seriously when we have a rotten skeleton in our own closet.
Big wads of money. The government has allocated about A$4 billion to stop the boats in 2013-14. It isn’t clear that this includes money for the incarceration of refugees in remote places, legal, and rafts of other expenses. The $4 billion is about the same amount that the UN high Commissioner for Refugees spends to protect nearly 40 million people across the globe. We manage to squander that on a few thousand people so we can punish them and keep them in limbo and squalid conditions without trial or promise of resolution.
The refugee problem has deepened in recent years. In Syria 6 million are displaced. Roughly 4 million internally and 1 mil to Lebanon and 1 mil to Turkey. And we think we have a problem??? A million or two have fled South Sudan for refuge in places like Chad!!! And we think we have a problem. Iran and Pakistan are hosting millions from Afghanistan, and I can’t remember where the millions fleeing Central African Republic are going, but they aren’t doing it to seek economic advantage, they are just trying to survive.
Australia punches above its weight in many areas of international debate, but on refugees, we have turned tail and fled. It is time to do some of the heavy lifting. I really don’t think Chad and such places can take the weight any more.
So the solution is ….. I don’t know. The problem is so complex and the possibilities are so conflicting, I don’t think any simple solutions exist. I am pretty sure that the simplistic ideas and slogans our political leaders feed us are superficial and a distraction from any serious debate. There are some very good journalists, but the longer and more thoughtful the article, the less it gets read. The worst commentary is as usual, provided by the the radio ‘shock jocks’. stirring emotions without activating the brain.
So I am commenting on the process of the debate and the appalling lack of compassion rather than suggesting solutions. The solutions will be as messy as the problem, but will require serious debate within Australia and with our neighbours.
The Race To The Bottom
The Labour party and the Liberal party have in the last decade been engaged in the race to the bottom on the issue of responsibility towards refugees. I didn’t think we could possibly get there, but I believe we have finally plumbed the depths in the pits of heartlessness and political cynicism. We have finally reached rock bottom, with the most appalling policies my worst nightmares did not imagine.
I mean of course, settling refugees to Australia in Cambodia. Australia has for some time neatly sidestepped its own laws and international obligations by keeping asylum seekers in legal limbo by ‘offshore’ processing. Even if it did take some fancy legal footwork to give Christmas Island a different territorial status. Then there is Manus Island as part of New Guinea. Then Nauru. Not to mention failed attempts with East Timor and Malaysia. All these ‘Pacific Solutions’ smack of desperation in Canberra. Not from the magnitude of the problem, but from the domestic political consequences. We have both political parties sabotaging the other’s proposals to gain electoral traction. It’s pathetic.
And now Cambodia. One of the poorest countries in the world least able to look after its own people, let alone the refugees. And don’t think for a moment that the money Australia hands over will go anywhere near the refugees or the Cambodian people. The corruption in that country is notorious even by Asian standards. It is still recovering from Pol Pot and the ‘Killing Fields’. This policy is insanity on steroids.
And what is this policy costing Australia? Heaps.
The refugee problem has deepened in recent years. In Syria 6 million are displaced. Roughly 4 million internally and 1 mil to Lebanon and 1 mil to Turkey. And we think we have a problem??? A million or two have fled South Sudan for refuge in places like Chad!!! And we think we have a problem. Iran and Pakistan are hosting millions from Afghanistan, and I can’t remember where the millions fleeing Central African Republic are going, but they aren’t doing it to seek economic advantage, they are just trying to survive.
Australia punches above its weight in many areas of international debate, but on refugees, we have turned tail and fled. It is time to do some of the heavy lifting. I really don’t think Chad and such places can take the weight any more.
So the solution is ….. I don’t know. The problem is so complex and the possibilities are so conflicting, I don’t think any simple solutions exist. I am pretty sure that the simplistic ideas and slogans our political leaders feed us are superficial and a distraction from any serious debate. There are some very good journalists, but the longer and more thoughtful the article, the less it gets read. The worst commentary is as usual, provided by the the radio ‘shock jocks’. stirring emotions without activating the brain.
So I am commenting on the process of the debate and the appalling lack of compassion rather than suggesting solutions. The solutions will be as messy as the problem, but will require serious debate within Australia and with our neighbours.