Perhaps the adults are actually in Cambodia, because Australia’s supply seems to have run out!
Would somebody out there like to explain, with supporting evidence, why Australia deems it appropriate to dump vulnerable people on third world countries?
Manus Island hasn’t worked out so well (not like a raft of people didn’t warn it was a disaster in the making) so now, we are thinking Cambodia might be a better option. Are we so prissy we want to pretend Australia is some sort of first world Elysium? Why aren’t we asking Canada (for example) to help? Lots of land, first world country, low population – sounds awfully like Australia really so I suppose that’s a standby Elysium and therefore not an option either.
Who decided first world countries shouldn’t be tainted by the presence of refugees, when first world countries are the best resourced to cope? Heaven forbid, they might smell different! They might dress differently. Not that I’ve noticed too many of our politicians running around dressed according to the English sumptuary acts of 1463, so change does happen.
The English sumptuary acts of 1463 go into explicit detail about clothing items which were reserved for those below the king’s status, putting restrictions on coat length and shoe height.[72] In this legislation, the intention was to prevent men from acting as if they were from a higher class by way of how they dressed. The laws specifically stated that a man was to dress within the status in which he was born.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_medieval_clothing#Male_dress
Politicians have gone to great lengths to brainwash the public into believing asylum seekers are baddies and the politicians are the goodies. No, Labor, you don’t escape this one either. As Paula Matthewson said, “A plague on both your houses“.
One of the main mechanisms used to convince the public asylum seekers are baddies is to call them illegals. Yet this is not correct. While their mode of entry may lack legality, the people are NOT illegals.
Experts contacted by ABC Fact Check say it is not appropriate to use “illegal” when specifically describing asylum seekers or refugees.
Professor Jane McAdam, director of the International Refugee and Migration Law Project at the University of New South Wales, says that “asylum seekers are not illegal under international law”.
“By ratifying the Refugee Convention, governments agree precisely not to treat asylum seekers as illegal,” Professor McAdam said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-06/morrison-correct-illegal-entry-people/4935372
Abbott reinforced this by saying how bad the asylum seekers’ behaviour was. Think very carefully, dear reader. If you were incarcerated for no other reason than exercising your rights under law to seek asylum and were then told you were stuck in limbo for ever, what would you do? As we now know, it appears the behaviour was not as originally depicted by the government and the poor people were given the wrong or at the very least confusing information about their possible futures. Would you not protest? I know I damn well would! Any regular reader of this website knows I would. If you take away people’s freedom for no justifiable reason, do you really expect them to say “thank you” like meek little lambs? These people are NOT meek – they fought to get to freedom, just as any of those politicians would.
I heard a caller on the radio this morning say “We don’t want these people here.” Who the hell is “we”? Speak for yourself, Mr Caller. Define “these people”: which people exactly are you referring to? At least he called them “people”, I suppose. This was on the radio show of one of the high profile supporters from Light the Dark, but I recognise he can’t be held responsible for his callers’ opinions.
Abbott has said we should be grateful Morrison is not a wimp. Mr Abbott, I think you have your wires crossed. Let us review Morrison’s maiden speech in 2008, shall we? I’m not the first to do this and I doubt I’ll be the last.
From my faith I derive the values of loving-kindness, justice and righteousness, to act with compassion and kindness, acknowledging our common humanity and to consider the welfare of others; to fight for a fair go for everyone to fulfil their human potential and to remove whatever unjust obstacles stand in their way, including diminishing their personal responsibility for their own wellbeing; and to do what is right, to respect the rule of law, the sanctity of human life and the moral integrity of marriage and the family. We must recognise an unchanging and absolute standard of what is good and what is evil. Desmond Tutu put it this way:
… we expect Christians … to be those who stand up for the truth, to stand up for justice, to stand on the side of the poor and the hungry, the homeless and the naked, and when that happens, then Christians will be trustworthy believable witnesses.
These are my principles. My vision for Australia is for a nation that is strong, prosperous and generous: strong in our values and our freedoms, strong in our family and community life, strong in our sense of nationhood and in the institutions that protect and preserve our democracy; prosperous in our enterprise and the careful stewardship of our opportunities, our natural environment and our resources; and, above all, generous in spirit, to share our good fortune with others, both at home and overseas, out of compassion and a desire for justice.
If Morrison truly believes what he said in 2008, then he is a wimp because it seems he has been dissuaded from following his beliefs. A brave man stands up for his beliefs. Did not Jesus say “Suffer not the little children to come unto me”? Yet we send them to Manus Island/Nauru? I am convinced Jesus would not be impressed.
There is much to question about Morrison’s past. Detailed articles are on ArchieArchive and The Monthly. In the latter publication Nick Bryant wrote:
In a country that has always exhibited a fickle streak towards foreigners heading for its shores, Scott Morrison is especially well credentialled to speak on the subject of his shadow portfolio, immigration. The Liberal politician who has spent much of the past 18 months regurgitating the phrase ‘stop the boats’ was also the managing director of Tourism Australia, who asked the rest of the world: ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’
“Please come”, followed by “stay the hell away”.
Amidst the stuff up, the most the Labor party can do is ask Morrison to do a “please explain”. Bowen suppports the policy of offshore processing while condemning the management. Of course he does: Labor introduced it, this time around. Offshore processing is now clearly bi-partisan policy.
Back to Cambodia. Why on earth would we ask one of the poorest countries in the region to take asylum seekers? Is this not Manus Island by another name? Maybe a smidgen better, but by how much? Or like Malaysia? Darlene Ford is working against this idea: visit the Cambodia is NO solution Facebook page.
The UNHCR provides a summary of the South-East Asian working environment.
http://twitter.com/TeamOyeniyi/status/437743374368374786
Australia is breaking not only international law, but our own domestic laws. There is no doubt we live in a very different world than we did in 1951 and 1958. This is not justification for inhumanity.
Related articles and reference materials not linked to above:
- Australia trafficks and abuses asylum seeker children (The Age)
- Malcolm Fraser: ‘we have lost our way’ (Malcolm Fraser interview, 2011)
- Scott Morrison needs to get into the fact-checking business (Michelle Grattan)
- Light the Dark vigils across Australia (Guardian)
- Manus Island and the horrors in Australia’s soul (IA)
-
The whole point of detention for asylum seekers is horror, whether it is acknowledged or not (Waleed Aly – SMH)
- Liberal Party’s moderate voice goes silent (SMH)
- We live in a racist culture
- A little Australian history
- Christmas Island overloaded (Ombudsman’s Report)
- SomethingWonky (for lots of political links)
- How the big parties lost their way (Ian McPhee on New Matilda)
- Tara Moss reveals disturbing details of murder on Manus
- Manus Island – an insider’s report (by Tara Moss)
- Asylum seekers and refugees: what are the facts (Australian Parliament)
- Asher Wolf’s Exclusive re Manus
- Anonymous Lefty on Abbott
- The morality of Manus can no longer be avoided (The Drum)
- Dear Mr Morrison Part Two (bettsie.wordpress.com)
- The Secrecy (SMH)
- Migration Act 1958 – Section 36
- The Refugee Convention
A Tree and its Fruit
…22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-23.htm
Random Observations of Life 
[…] Goodies, baddies, wimps: where are the ADULTS? […]
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[…] I’ve written about language in society more than once. I’ve looked at the anti-female language of rap music, I’ve looked at political discourse and behaviour. Politicians poking our their tongues like naughty schoolboys is not acceptable when they are elected to run the country as adults. […]
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[…] I hold my own daughter to account, I expect so much more from our adults. It is called […]
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Liesalot thinks we should be glad ‘scum is not a wimp? IMO he’s not just a wimp he is a gutless coward into the bargain as are the majority of our politicians.
“These people” as that caller calls asylum seekers, are truly brave. Would ANY of these armchair racists have had the guts to do what “these people” have done?
Has any of us lived through the terror of civil war and the atrocities that go with it? I haven’t and I have no desire to do so. “These people” have.
“These people” have had to flee their homes at a moment’s notice and run for their lives seeking a safe haven.
It takes guts to do that, more guts than creatures like ‘scum will ever have.
‘scum claims to be a Christian, but it’s just a name tag he’s stuck on his jacket. He’s about as Christian as Hitler. He’s a dishonest liar and hypocrite.
He should be ashamed to enter a church and he should be more than ashamed to be responsible for the brutal treatment his representatives are dishing out to “these people” who have more courage, moral fibre and integrity than he and his minions combined will ever have.
Robyn, your post is a message to the Liars government. We are not going to ignore what is going on in their gulag; we won’t stop telling people what is happening and we won’t give up.
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Thank you Jane. I really cannot reconcile the professed christian beliefs with the unchristian actions.
Maybe that’s because I’m an atheist.
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[…] Additional Information re asylum seekers and Manus Island can be found at the bottom of Goodies, baddies, wimps: where are the ADULTS. […]
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Wow. Just wow.
I’ve just read something that encompasses all my feelings of disbelief, despair and embarrassment at the way Australia is behaving…. the Cambodia suggestion could surely only be considered a joke, but this whole mess is all so real – a bad dream.
Thanks for writing this article, I wish more people out there would read articles such as this, and open their minds and hearts – compared to the commercial tv “current affairs” shows and MSM newspapers which use misinformation and “us versus them” to try to turn us into hateful, scared people.
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Thank you very much! I am glad you have an open mind and an open heart! 🙂
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I’m wringing my hands in despair.
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It is shocking, Gilly. Absolutely shocking.
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Couldn’t agree more Robyn!!! I created this yesterday if anyone is interested, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambodia-is-NO-Solution-for-Refugees-Fleeing-Persecution/1539589759600397
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I will add your link as soon as I get a chance! Good work! 🙂
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As if the events over the past week havent been disgusting enough, now we hear of plans to ‘dump’ refugees in Cambodia. I was appalled listening to Julie Bishop talk of this in parliament like it was some master stroke that would save the day. Of course this was after she declared Scott Morrison was doing a “fabulous job”.
As you say Robyn, neither of the major parties have covered themselves in glory in policy responses to asylum seekers. We, as a nation, have been on a very downward spiral for a long time with each successive government racing to outdo each other in ‘toughness’. Last weeks atrocity was inevitable given the total disregard for people’s welfare & rights that occurs on Manus Island. Any decent person would have been sickened by it.
PM Abbott doesn’t want a wimp. Well PM neither do I. I would like to see you..yes you Mr Abbott take a moral stand and say Enough and sack Scott Morrison..it takes courage to do the right thing…or are you a wimp.
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Morality seems to be sadly lacking in this crop of greedy, angry, self-serving “servants of the people”.
How the hell we ever let them loose with the power of the house is beyond me.
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The latest shame in a continuing history of shame for this country. As you can probably imagine, I’m speechless. One thing I will say – Morrison MUST GO!!!
And these christians who love to wax lyrical about their christian values. You know we’d respect you a hell of a lot more if you actually stood up for those principles in the breech, rather than just pontificating about them when you want to get elected?
Robyn, may I suggest you add to your reading list this article by Ian McPhee (Liberal party grandee and Malcolm Fraser’s Immigration Minister)?
https://newmatilda.com/2012/08/02/how-big-parties-lost-their-way-refugees
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Thanks, Derek, I will in the morning. I’ve given up the PC and retired for the evening.
Couple of others I want add too.
I was speechless all weekend, but that radio comment and the Cambodia suggestion just blew my mind.
As if a murder and many injuries on our watch isn’t enough, we look to perpetuate the problems.
I am willing to accept the Refugee Convention may need a rework in a changing world, so hop to it and DO something, not this avoidance, out of sight, out of mind nonsense.
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Fair enough. But if you want to change a UN Convention then you take it up with the UN. Didn’t we just get on the Security Council? We could bring it up. What you don’t do is start unilaterally re-interpreting it however you please.
I don’t think Australia will be raising it however, because the UN is unlikely to decide that refugees should be sent to the poorest countries in the world. What is more likely is that some of the REALLY big refugee destination countries, and I’m thinking of Europe here, will look sideways at Australia, see our comparatively tiny refugee numbers, our enormous landmass and our low population density, and decide we could do far more to pull our weight.
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I agree! But one excuse often given is the Convention is out of date. It was framed for a different time.
Changes would likely, as you say, require greater responsibility from rich countries.
Would Australia sign it? I think the only reason Australia hasn’t pulled out of the existing convention is due to fear of losing big friends.
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Glad I came across your site (vis Twitter).
Dumping what would be a TINY problem for a rich country like Australia onto the impoverished villagers of a nation struggling to find its feet in a world rigged in favour of rich nations like us, has to be the greatest example yet of Ugly Australis.
Appropriately enough, it was an idea invented by Rudd, the man who put Abbott in power by his inability to accept being replaced by a woman after his ousting by his own colleagues for incompetence.
Only building of course on Howard’s Pacific solution. Howard was the one brave enough to m ake the first move towards throwing all decency out the window.
It’s my belief this is above all a failure of leadership, chasing a few votes over an issue that rates very low in the concerns of most Australians. Those who are concerned are the sort who have little to do but phone talkback radio, so they seem more than they are. But voting patterns don’t support the idea that this is a major vote winner. But for people like Rudd, Howard and Abbott with no real policies (Rudd), or no policies they are game to admit to before an election, any tiny issue is important
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Nice to meet you John and welcome to our little part of the interwebz.
It is a terrible situation, but one that I think has roots way back. We might have got rid of the legislation of the White Australia Policy, but the more that happens the more I think we still have the spirit, sadly.
My interview with an ex Immigration decision maker where the interviewee clearly states, “We (all Australians) live in a racist culture” was telling.
The growing backlog of partner visas is also telling.
I am still waiting for someone to give an official answer to my question about New Zealand. Should earthquakes ever mean a mass evacuation, probably by boat, would we send our trans-Tasman cousins to Manus Island or Cambodia? Of course, we trust such an event would never happen, but if we consider the Christchurch ‘quake ……
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