Pearls and Irritations

The Greens are threatening to block the referendum on the ‘Voice’ which promises to give effect to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The Green’s spokesperson on Indigenous Affairs, Senator Lidia Thorpe has described the Voice as a ‘waste of money’ and a ‘wasted exercise’.

Instead the Greens want priority for a Truth and Justice Commission.

This could spell the end or the defeat of the referendum on the Voice.

Don’t the Greens ever learn?

They were responsible for over a wasted decade on climate change. They bear responsibility with Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison for the continuing cruelty to refugees. In both cases, they wanted ‘something better’ than what was on offer. The result was that we failed for a decade on both issues.

Refugees

In the Parliament in September 2011, the Greens sided with Tony Abbott against the Malaysian Arrangement, which, whilst not ideal, would have been a useful first step in curbing boat arrivals. That arrangement with Malaysia was negotiated with the understanding and broad support of UNHCR. Under the Arrangement, 800 boat arrivals in Australia would be repatriated to Malaysia and Australia would accept 4000 refugees who had been orderly processed in Malaysia in cooperation with UNHCR. Not only did the Greens side with Tony Abbott in opposing amendments to the Migration Act to allow the arrangement with Malaysia to proceed, they embarked on an unscrupulous bashing campaign of Malaysia.

With the collapse of the Malaysian Arrangement, boat arrivals in Australia increased dramatically. In September 2011, there were about 3 to 4 asylum boats per month coming to Australia. By July 2013, the number had increased to 48 boats. The Greens cannot be absolved for their populism and the cruelty that followed.

Climate

The Greens must also accept responsibility for the collapse in public support for effective action on climate change. In collaboration with the Coalition in the Senate they opposed the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme of the first Rudd Government. If the Greens had supported the Rudd Government’s CPRS in the Senate, in 2008, the issue of climate change would not have been fully ‘done and dusted’ but we would be in a far better position on climate than we are today. The Greens said that the CPRS was not good enough. So we got nothing at all and 14 wasted years.

The Greens have inflicted damage on both climate and refugees. Their actions on both set back real reform and decent policies.

On the Voice we look like having a repeat of bloody mindedness by the Greens.

Once again the perfect looks like becoming the enemy of the good.

Or as Gough Whitlam often put it, ‘only the impotent are pure’.

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