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Stop using the public service as political tools

By Eva Cox - posted Monday, 12 September 2011


The Australian reports: 'The government's advice is that people-smugglers celebrated the High Court decision and are actively recruiting customers. It also suggests that a regime limited exclusively to onshore processing could lead to about 600 boat people arriving in Australian waters every month, and within a year the detention network would be overwhelmed. Asylum-seekers would inevitably end up in the community, and would most likely be treated as second-class citizens, triggering the possibility of Australia experiencing European-style disharmony.'

I agree with refugee advocate David Manne, who said last night there was no evidence to substantiate the claims in the advice to the government.

"They . . . are unsubstantiated and irresponsible claims which are only likely to demonise people and to fuel hostility in betrayal of this rich history in this country of helping people and welcoming people in humanitarian need," Mr Manne told ABC's Lateline.

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There are many views on what is causing popular unrest and riots in the UK and elsewhere in Europe but no one claims it is the many more asylum seekers they have.

There are difficult economic conditions and social tension's being exploited by minority right wing parties is adding to nationalism and other forms of prejudice. However, in no other country are both the Government and the Opposition exacerbating the fears by running policies that imply non existent threats to social cohesion.

The solutions to the boat arrival's lie in providing alternative ways of processing those who are seeking a safe place to stay, where they can work and live normally. This strategy should however NOT involve swapping some types of arrivals for others as this reduces people to impersonal pawns in a bigger political game. It also ignores evidence that desperate people do not make rational business decisions, they will continue to risk death or rejection to pursue outside difficult possibilities.

Were the Australian government to work on a regional processing system that created real queues for those wanting to settle here, and doubled its numbers of refugee settlers, it would undermine the 'market' for boat passages.

Our public servant's could plan diverse solutions and not implement crude political prejudices for the poll advantages. For instance, by setting up Malaysia and Indonesia based immigration queues, we may fill other areas of labour needs.

How many asylum seekers and potential refugees also have skills as potential aged care workers and miners? The extra immigrants can create the benefits we gained from the many post-war arrivals that many did not want, including me!

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About the Author

Eva Cox is the chair of Women’s Electoral Lobby Australia and director of Distaff Associates.

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