Immigration, refugees
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Tony Abbott in Sri Lanka. John Menadue
Tony Abbott has continued his ‘stop the boats campaign” in Sri Lanka regardless of growing concerns about human rights abuses in that country. He offered two patrol boats as part of a ‘foreign aid package’. His justification for this is that it would help save the lives of people drowning at sea. Please spare us Continue reading »
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Surely the Indonesians wouldn’t play politics over boat people! John Menadue
Well – yes they would. They have learnt it from Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison. The blokey Australians are no match for the subtle and sophisticated Indonesians. In Opposition, the Coalition took every opportunity to exploit boat arrivals. They were not genuinely interested in stopping the boats then. Their main objective was to stop the Continue reading »
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When “… language itself becomes a weapon” Guest blogger: Professor Ian Webster.
When “..language itself becomes a weapon.”[1] “I know they’re rorting the system; I’ve seen it in the source countries; and I’ve seen it in my own electorate.” It was a party stopper from a Member of Parliament speaking informally with a group attending a meeting about preventing suicide. The two words “refugee” and “asylum seeker” Continue reading »
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Are current maritime asylum seeker policies working? Guest blogger: Peter Hughes
So what if current maritime asylum seeker policies are working? I mean that question in the narrow sense of reducing irregular maritime arrivals to a trickle. The arrival figure of some 339 persons for October 2013 announced by the government represents only 16 per cent of October 2012 arrivals. Although it is only the figure Continue reading »
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Why Iranians join the refugee queue. Guest Iranian correspondent Nadia S Fosoul
In my country Iran, many dads take two jobs. They work hard so that their kids can check more items off their wish list. Moms like other moms in the world sacrifice their comforts for the sake of their children. Despite this, according to UNHCR data (immigrationinformation.org) the number of Iranian youth seeking asylum around Continue reading »
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The apathy and hostility of South Koreans to their Northern cousins. Guest bloggers: Markus Bell and Sarah Chee
In every way, Yu Woo-seong was a model defector. In his early 30s, he was smart, friendly, ambitious and well-liked. Despite the fact that he had been in South Korea for less than six years, Yu managed to work through his university studies while adapting remarkably well to his new environment, finishing his bachelor’s degree Continue reading »
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Even-handed Tony Abbott. John Menadue
In his toxic language over asylum seekers in the last three years, Tony Abbott has been not only derogatory about vulnerable people fleeing persecution, he has also gone out of his way to insult our neighbours in their handling of asylum seekers. He has shown no favouritism. He has insulted them all. Within the last Continue reading »
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A somersault – back to business as usual. Guest blogger: Arja Keski-Nummi
While in opposition Tony Abbot conducted a robust and aggressive policy on boats that effected Indonesia. But now he has done a somersault in order to put the Australian-Indonesian relationship back on a more even footing. As his speech at the official dinner portrays he has gone to the other extreme and engaged in rather Continue reading »
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Israel’s asylum-seeker dilemma. Guest blogger: John Tulloh.
Like Australia, Israel has a major problem of what to do with asylum-seekers. And, like Australia with our proposed Malaysia solution in 2011, Israeli legislation aimed at curbing the influx has been thrown out by the country’s highest court. Those seeking refuge in Israel did not come by boat. They came across the Sinai from Continue reading »
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Sri Lanka – the civil war may be over but peace has not returned.
The Australian government in cooperation with the Sri Lankan government and its security services has been returning asylum seekers to Sri Lanka. They are called ‘voluntary returnees’. Increasingly however, doubts are being expressed by many commentators about the continuing plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka. In the following article, published in Catholic News on September Continue reading »
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Where ignorance is bliss … (’tis foolish to be wise) Guest blogger Arja Keski-Nummi
The Abbott government appears to have signaled that they do not believe in nation building. They have created a Department of Immigration and Border Protection and moved the vital settlement support services from this portfolio to be lost in a larger welfare-oriented agency. The fact is that migration and settlement are two sides Continue reading »
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Commodifying and dehumanising asylum seekers. Guest blogger Michael Kelly SJ
The rejection by the Indonesian foreign minister of Tony Abbott’s suggested ways of “stopping the boats” is only the latest assertion of how the Coalition’s policy on asylum seekers was never going to work. It might have made political sense at election time, allegedly in marginal seats though the results in western Sydney throw some Continue reading »
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Dodging a bullet. Guest blogger: John Young
It was going to be as bad as 1996 (when Labor lost 31 seats), a sombre Stephen Smith gravely warned us at the beginning of the ABC election night coverage. Smith ignored that a few months earlier Labor was facing its worst election defeat, at least as bad as the 2011 NSW State election. How Continue reading »
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Facing the future. Guest blogger: Prof. Stephen Leeder
Facing the future in a world where black swan events change everything. When considering what we may be facing with a new federal government in Australia, a wise starting point would be a conversation with Nassim Nicholas Taleb, he of the Black Swan theory. Taleb has written extensively, using the discovery of black swans in Continue reading »
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The election – punishing bad behaviour. John Menadue
One thing the election did was to explode the perceived wisdom that if the economy was doing well, governments are seldom voted out. But the Rudd Government was. As I have written in earlier blogs. The Australian economy, by almost any measure is one of the best performing and managed in the world. Our material Continue reading »
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Asylum seekers are blocking the M4 freeway and clogging up our hospitals! John Menadue
On Monday night on 4 Corners, the Liberal candidate for Lindsay, Fiona Scott, said that asylum seekers’ cars were blocking the M4 highway. For readers outside Sydney, the M4 is a 40 km expressway connecting Concord and Penrith. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry that such ignorance could be expressed by a candidate Continue reading »
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Boat arrivals are down. John Menadue
You would hardly know it if you read the Murdoch papers or listened to the Canberra bureau of the ABC but boat arrivals are dramatically down in recent weeks. How ironic it would be if even before Tony Abbott becomes Prime Minister, that asylum seekers arriving by boat have been reduced to a trickle. It Continue reading »
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From one Catholic to another. Guest blogger: Bishop Hurley, Darwin.
The Catholic Bishop of Darwin has expressed concern to Tony Abbott about the Coalition’s policies towards asylum-seekers and people in detention. His letter to Tony Abbott follows: Bishop Hurley letter to Tony Abbott The Leader of the Opposition The Hon. Tony Abbott MHR Parliament House RG109 CANBERRA ACT 2600 16 August 2013 Dear Mr. Continue reading »
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Jesuit students rebuke Tony Abbott and other old boys. John Menadue
For many years, I have been concerned that the Jesuits at St Ignatius College Sydney seem to be producing mainly conservative politicians and merchant bankers. I don’t think St Ignatius would have expected that. My confidence in the Jesuits at St Ignatius has been at least partially restored by action by senior students at St Continue reading »
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Hitting rock-bottom! John Menadue
Today Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison have announced draconian measures that will inflict enormous punishment on over 30,000 asylum seekers who have arrived in Australia over recent years by boat. These draconian policies will apply not just to future boat arrivals but will be applied retrospectively to over 30,000 asylum seekers who are already legally Continue reading »
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Minimizing PNG and Nauru. John Menadue
Before I outline what I suggest we should do after the federal election let me first raise a few important background issues. The Indo China program In working with Malcolm Fraser and Ian Macphee I was actively involved in the Indochina refugee program under which Australia took 240,000 people, including family reunion. It was a Continue reading »
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Is something significant happening in our alignment to our region? John Menadue
It may be early days, but I sense that some significant change might be afoot. So much of our political dialogue historically has been about Australia’s relationship with the UK and then the US. John Howard spoke of Australia being the deputy sheriff for the Americans in our region. Tony Abbott talks about an Anglo Continue reading »
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A regional refugee instrument. John Menadue
Forgive me for repeating myself, but you might be interested in a presentation I gave on this subject in February 2012 (see below). We have talked a lot about the need for regional arrangements, but progress has been extremely slow. Our political system based on ministerial and departmental responsibility has failed us badly on refugee issues. Continue reading »
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Least-worst option and minimising PNG. John Menadue
In my blog of July 20, I referred to the Regional Settlement Agreement with PNG. With some reservations I described it as the least-worst option. Some were surprised at my comments. I wish it were otherwise, but in the toxic and poisonous political debate over refugees since John Howard’s time, we have had to face Continue reading »
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Iranians – refugees or migrants? John Menadue
In my blog of July 5, I compared the March quarter 2013 primary refugee protection visa rate for various nationalities and the finally determined grant rate. In the case of Iranian nationals the grant rate rose from 55% at the primary stage to 86% on appeal. That is 86% of Iranian boat arrivals were finally Continue reading »
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Asylum seeker saga continues. Guest Blogger: Marcus Einfeld
The saga proceeds in relation to people seeking refugee asylum in our country. The latest contribution in these last few days is that we should seek changes in the UN Refugee Convention because circumstances have changed since it was introduced after WWII. The label “economic migrants” is being resurrected as a reason for refusing refugee Continue reading »
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Regional Settlement Agreement with Papua New Guinea – a post-script. John Menadue
With the dust settling a little I thought it might be safe to return to this issue! I said in my blog of July 20 that I supported the general thrust of the RSA with PNG, although a lot remained to be sorted out and the implementation is already showing signs of problems. Without repeating Continue reading »
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The Regional Settlement Arrangement with Papua New Guinea. John Menadue
With some reservations I support the general thrust of the RSA with PNG. I do that largely for the same reasons that I supported the earlier proposed agreement with Malaysia. The RSA is in PM Rudd’s words ‘a hard line’ but I see it as the least worst option given the present intractable political impasse Continue reading »
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Don’t race to the bottom on asylum seekers!
Kevin Rudd, in your review of asylum seeker policy please don’t let Foreign Minister Carr lead you to a race to the bottom with Tony Abbott. The media is clearly being briefed that in a revision of asylum policy, the Government is considering tougher new country assessments by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Continue reading »
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Regional cooperation is the key. Guest blogger: Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser
Australia’s problems with asylum seekers and refugees are not unique. We are not the only point of destination. There are around 30,000 in Australia, over 160,000 in Canada, 51,000 in Austria, 22,000 in Belgium, 74,000 in Netherlands with a population much less than ours, nearly 150,000 in the United Kingdom and 589,000 in Germany. There Continue reading »
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