16 | August | 2012 | The EYE-BALL Opinion

T he greatest shame Australia has to live with is this abortion of a debate over how to deal with ‘asylum seekers’ arriving by boat. The debate centers around an axis that is as stupid as introducing new mining taxes after the mining boom has ended.

This axis is humanity based – it is the dealing with the cost of human lives lost whilst trying to make the journey across the oceans between Indonesia and Australia’s Christmas Island. It is the embarrassment and pointed finger at a Government unable to ‘stop the boats’. This is free will – something Australia supports and the embarrassment comes for having to deal with the ‘distress call’ and rescue and what to do with the ‘asylum seeker’s once they are rescued.

Let us be honest – the ‘people smugglers’ are taking advantage of Australia’s humanitarian stance. They are laughing at Australia and that more than anything is driving this policy … not the lives lost.

These People Smugglers tell their boat refugees to steer a course and once they’re an hour or two out there on the big wide ocean – make a distress call. You will be rescued. And sure enough – and under a media horde looking for an excuse to run bad press, Australia is forced to respond to the distress call and so the process starts.

Media opinion in this Nation ain’t worth crap on this issue – if Andrew Bold and other right wingers like him were in distress in a distant land and made a distress call – regardless of the reasons why they were in the position – he and the others would expect to be rescued. The focus on this debate is all askew … its focused on the ‘queue jumper’ aspect – when it should be focused on the immigration policy and the low refugee intake number of 13,700 or so.

An estimated 1000 asylum seeker lives have been lost at sea since Rudd dismantled the ‘Howard’ solution in 2007-8. Gillard has followed through with that policy and in the two years since – she has continually found new ways to stuff up the on-shore processing arrangements under Opposition and media scrutiny.

Gillard continues to be canned on this issue and after the deadlock debate before the 2012 winter recess – she is now out there trying to get the new Angus Huston led enquiry recommendations through the House as a matter of urgency.

If there was ever a time for level heads and a time to pause and consider Gillard’s rants and backflips – and to stare down an angry mob – it is now. She is completely reversing her Governments position and in full view allowing a public servant to initiate policy without debate in the caucus, or in the Cabinet room.

She must take the time to wipe away the egg all over her face and allow the ALP Government to come to terms with this reverse in policy. Alas, it is too late – it will pass in the Senate and become Law by the end of the week … again this dullard of a PM has engulfed this Nation in a shameful act. The UN had comment on this new policy … read here …

This rushed policy is not the answer – in essence what it will do is relocate displaced persons making a boat trip to Australia in a community living in an off-shore Nation for the duration, and facing perhaps up to 5 years of detention. The reality contained within that prospect for the detainee is more of the same from where they have fled.

To fund this policy – the Australian Taxpayer is going to be asked to foot the bill for each of these detainees with food, accommodation, clothing and other necessities, health, education, for an indeterminable timeframe. These refugees are capable of work, they are human beings coming from war, rape, and other human atrocities they want to try and forget.

Australia’s answer – our stupid MP’s want to lock them up and impose more hardship and endurance.

What would be wrong with having them join a workforce to earn their keep?

Why not integrate them – every policy since Howard has them contained in detention centers and cut off from Australian society – it has not stopped them coming.

The ‘Howard Solution’ claims to have slowed the arrivals to a trickle – and the Rudd plan was a green light for them to start-up again. The numbers support this – but Howard’s policy was one of the reasons Howard lost the 2007 election and his own seat. Australian’s had developed a conscience over this policy and they spoke at that election. They wanted on-shore processing.

There was nothing humane about the Howard Solution, and there is nothing humane about this new Gillard policy. Rudd’s initial dismantling of the ‘Howard Solution’ was the right thing to do then, it is still the right thing to do now. We just have to find a way to make it work.

The argument for the rush is to stop more deaths – this is the biggest lie put upon the Australian people – we accept 15,000+ deaths from tobacco every year – this 1000 asylum seeker deaths over a 5 year period is even less that the road kill in this Nation.

Alcohol related deaths, drug and substance deaths, all pastime and addictions taken up and pursued on a voluntary basis – they account for extremes of deaths greater than those asylum seekers lost at sea. That is not to say that we should discount any death – it is just that we should look at these matters in a more honest perspective.

The policy should be about making it easier for asylum seekers to get to a destination that welcomes them – what this policy is saying that we don’t want to make you feel welcome – we don’t want you here in the first place. That is the thinking and that is the problem.

The policy should be about expanding our Immigration intake – but the reality in that suggestion is seen as political suicide. I say it is hypocrisy and the height of political cowardice. A Leader stands by their convictions – anyone who reads a poll before they vote on a policy have no right serving in Government.

The fact is that as elections near – all politicians pay close attention to polling data – they don’t want to make a mistake so close to an election that could blow up in their faces. Again I say – Political cowardice and it is an infection and disease that this Government and Opposition suffer from.

Gillard is such a poor Politician – her ‘my way or the highway’ attitude renders her incapable of collective debate. She’s a modern-day Stalinist … without the human genocide, but with a genocidal tendency of a different kind.

Let is put up some data –

Firstly – Attorney General Roxon has been lauding the High Court decision over big Tobacco and plain packaging. The data surrounding the Tobacco Industry and its cost to Australians measures up as follows>

Tobacco kills on average 15,000+ Australians every year, [Link to Source Data.]
The health costs attributed to Tobacco are estimated in excess of $30 billion a year as at 2005, [Link to Source Data.]
The tax collected from tobacco sales has fallen from almost $7 billion in the early 90’s to around $2 billion in 2008. [Link to – Source Data.]

The point made is that tobacco is a voluntary pursuit – yes advertising targets youth and once addicted the path to an unhealthy life becomes a problem for all Australians to deal with in terms of health cost and resources.

Secondly – Road Deaths and the cost … [Link to Source data for chart and stats.]

The breakdown of road deaths by states and territories (year ending December 2011):

NSW 376—down 7.2 per cent;
Victoria 288—unchanged;
Queensland 269—up 8 per cent;
SA 103—down 12.7 per cent;
WA 180—down 6.7 per cent
Tasmania 26—down 16.1 per cent;
NT 44—down 10.2 per cent;
ACT 6—down 68.4 per cent.

We have become accustomed to this annual and it would seem acceptable death toll – the estimated annual cost in dealing with road fatalities and crashes is $27 billion. (Link to Source Data.]

All authorities do to try and lessen the road toll is raise speeding fines – and that revenue and the way it is collected has a whole other debate that has nothing to do with road fatalities and crashes.

Thirdly – the Obesity epidemic and its cost on taxpayers,

Fourthly – the prescription epidemic pill poppers and its cost to taxpayers in subsidised NCHS medications …

Jumping on a boat to seek a new life in a new country is voluntary – and similar to all the other voluntary matters raised above.

The truth is that there are many other domestic and home-grown drains on our society that cost $100’s billions every year and make light of the immigration cost. This new abomination rush job of a policy is all about winning the public support and reverse Gillard’s pool numbers within the ALP heartland.

Australia’s past legacies has shown that our generosity can be limitless. The Brisbane floods appeal raised $200+ million – Cyclone Yasi had a similar response – here’s an idea – why not have an appeal for the Asylum seekers and let Australia decide if they want to bring them onshore for processing.

This policy matter has nothing to do about funding costs – it is to do with political compromise to appease voters. It’s poll driven. And right there is the problem.

An inspirational Leader sells their policy and the Nation follows – Gillard ducks and weaves and poor Bowen is left like a shag on a rock. Bowen grits his teeth when forced to smile and say that he supports this policy change-up – he is not alone and many other ALP caucus members feel the same way. They have been railroaded.

The end result is that Gillard has just rolled back the mandate the ALP were given by the electorate in 2007 – and handed the next Government policy they were going to implement anyway. Who the fuck is she working for?

But there are bigger issues that nobody cares about. What these refugees have been through is something most Australians have empathy for, but they would have no idea of the personal hardship and sacrifice that sees them now so desperate as to risk their own lives to make the journey so they can come and knock on our doorstep.

Our hospitable response is to jail them – and to strip away up to 5+ years of their life because they’re seen as queue jumpers.

Well – change the intake numbers .. and not from the 13,000 to 20,000 being suggested – or the 27,000 that would cost another $1.4 billion over 4 years … common – the numbers above are what we pay for people in this Nation wanting to kill themselves and place themselves on our health bill cost – surely the productiveness and motivation of these desperate people would serve as a better investment.

Whoops – what I wanted to say here was not endearing and has been re-edited … please Mr Abbott and Ms Gillard – can you not shame this Nation any more over these asylum seeker policies.

One day when Australia has need of neighbours – I hope they all turn you and your lot away as you have turn these asylum seekers away.

Have your say where it counts: – contact your Local Federal Representative via the links below and let them know how you feel about this, or any other topic that you feel strongly about – or you can just post a comment below and let off some steam.

Links to Australian Parliamentary Website – MP’s

The EYE-BALL Opinion …

Categories: Current Affairs, Human Interest, Politics - Domestic, Politics - International, The EYE-BALL Opinion

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