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| Refugees May Reside In Gippsland | |
| Refugees May Reside In Gippsland | ||
| support@gippsland.com | 26/6/2002 |    |
| This forum has automatically been created for the news article "Refugees May Reside In Gippsland". You can read the article here. To post your comments use the 'Reply' icon. | ||
| Promising Idea | ||
| Emma Kae | 26/6/2002 |  |
| I think at the very least, we owe it to both the refugees and ourselves (in keeping the spirit of humanity alive) to at least trial Latrobe as a Welcome Town for a limited period of time. How can we make an informed choice against the idea until we experience the impact it will have on the community - and who is to say that it will not be a positive one? A trial would offer the best indication for the future. What do you think? | ||
| Not Convinced | ||
| Antony Svasek | 27/6/2002 | |
| I could see the point of view that these people came to Australia illegally. They have broken entry laws. They should be returned to their place of origin asap. There is a process for seeking Asylum Status in Australia. Why should it be different for them. It's not fair on those that come to Australia through the proper channels. | ||
| Necessary Documentation A Dangerous Path | ||
| Emma Kae | 27/6/2002 | |
| >I could see the point of view that these people came to Australia illegally. They have broken entry laws. They should be returned to their place of origin asap. There is a process for seeking Asylum Status in Australia. Why should it be different for them. It's not fair on those that come to Australia through the proper channels. On the surface, it may appear that way, but do keep in mind that many refugees do not have the opportunity to get travel documents. The following information was taken from: http://www.amnesty.org.au/airesources/index-37.html "For many people fleeing torture or death, it is impossible to obtain the necessary travel documents. It can be too dangerous for them, or there may be no office at which to apply, or they may be unaware that they need to seek permission to flee for their lives. When asylum-seekers who are unable to safely obtain travel documents arrive in Australia, they are treated like criminals - without the right to appeal to a court of law against the decision to detain them indefinitely. The Australian government justifies this on the grounds of deterring others from similarly seeking asylum. While it is internationally accepted that protecting national security can be a legitimate reason for the temporary detention of asylum-seekers, deterrence alone is unacceptable." | ||
| A Route For Escape? | ||
| Adam Smith | 27/6/2002 | |
| If that (Welcome Town concept) means they come stay here before they get their visa’s I don’t think I’d like that. There’s not really much for them to do here anyway. (Besides) they’d prolly all nick off once they got the chance. | ||
| Refugees For Gippsland | ||
| Anthea Dacy | 27/6/2002 | |
| My ancestors came to this country 170 years ago in chains. Not only were they convicts, they were Irish convicts, and Catholics to boot. Family folklore suggests that for generations the label excluded family members from gaining social acceptance in many circles. Yet these adventurous souls who were my forebears, were determined to make a success of their lives in Australia. From illiterate beginnings they raised their children to occupy high professional and social positions. Arguably Ireland sent out its best people. We have to ask ourselves whether the 'ratbag' gene is not a hallmark of the Australian character and culture. By excluding refugees with such zeal is there a risk that we endanger the fabric of our national character? Perhaps an injection of "difficult people" is just the shot in the arm Gippsland needs. | ||
| Send them from whence they came | ||
| Dennis McGrath | 28/6/2002 | |
| Refugees.....what about normal people who want to migrate to our country. They have to prove they will have something to offer.They stand in queues and wait on our slow working government to reply. It also costs a lot of money for one to migrate here. Let the refugees take a number like everyone else If they play up in the detention centres send them back from where they came from. Let them apply just like anyone else has too. We do have a free country if you can afford to get in to it and then to live here.... | ||
| Illegal immigrants for Gippsland | ||
| Dennis McGrath | 28/6/2002 | |
| Just as a foot note to my other comment .bring them here, sure. Jobs are scarce as it is. What about those voters who are trying to find work. They would really appreciate having to contend with more competition. And the normal job seeker does not have the support these "poor "Immigrants do. We are a caring people but lets look to our own first. See our own unemployed and homeless helped before we help those who short cut the system. Their lives may be at peril, but that can also be said for a young Australian living on the streets with no job and little faith in the future. Help our own first.......... | ||
| Perhaps Australians Are Just Slow Learners | ||
| Jim Leslie | 3/7/2002 | |
| Dennis McGrath, who advises refugees to stand in a queue, seems to be living in a reality of his own. What queue? The fact is, refugees are generally refugees because of beatings, bullets, starvation and worse. As for our own street kids and unemployed, they, at least, have a queue to stand in. Of course, they often have the epithet "dole bludger" flung at them, usually by the same group of uncharitable people who are rabidly anti-immigration. Help our own first? How do we define our own? Do we make up voters lists from the electoral rolls? That'd eliminate most street kids. Do we conduct DNA testing? Australians are made up of a lot of ethnic groups, so which ones would pass the test and under what criteria? The fact is, refugees are human beings in a lot of trouble not of their own making. Many Australians simply wont acknowledge this. They prefer to live in a smug ignorance of the world at large. Refugees don't have to worry about getting the mortgage paid, or keeping the car payments up to date. They're too busy just staying alive. It would probably be mutually beneficial to have a community of refugees in Gippsland, if only to show local Australians the human faces behind the headlines. After all, it wasn't long ago that the tabloids were conducting campaigns against Greeks, Italians and Vietnamese. Now the football hall of fame is filled with Jesaulenkos and DiPierDomenicos and every third doctor seems to be named Nguyen. For God's sake, our own Victorian Premier is Lebanese-Australian. Even longer ago, the Irish suffered the same hostility when starving thousands emigrated. The popular view at the time was that the potato blight was just an excuse and that these were just "economic" migrants, looking for last century's equivalent of the microwave oven. Perhaps Australians, every one of whom is descended from immigrants, are just slow learners. | ||
| Once We Say Yes It Will Open The Floodgates | ||
| Saichiko | 3/7/2002 | |
| You must remember that if we say yes to these refugees, then we must say yes to all refugees who enter our country illegally. The people smugglers will recognise this and say "Australia is the place to send these people as they will let them in". What will we do if other countries decide to send their refugees to Australia? Do we say yes to all of them? What if China or Thailand or any other country decides that Australia is the best place to send all refugees? If Australians wish to go to another country, we must apply for a visa. We cannot just turn up on their shores and expect to be allowed to live there indefinitely. Remember, once we say yes, it will open the floodgates, and where will it stop? I realise that under humanitarian principles we should say yes, and most of us feel a great deal of sympathy for these people. However, as reiterated above, if we say yes, then we must say yes to them all, not just the handful that are currently here, but yes to all refugees, no matter what country they are form or circumstances they are in - do you what all the refugees in the world to converge on Australia? It could happen, as we will be outlined as an easy target once we say yes. | ||
| Not To Let The Facts Get In The Way | ||
| Dennis McGrath | 3/7/2002 | |
| Mr Leslie, yes I am of immigrant stock. Ones who came here legally, as did all the others you chose to mention. Good argument friend but lets not let the facts get in the way of a good yarn. | ||
| A question of legality | ||
| Jim Leslie | 3/7/2002 | |
| Legal or illegal immigrants? Is THAT the question? It should be remembered that the boat people who arrived here from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon were every bit as "illegal" as the most recent asylum seekers from the Middle East. The Indo-Chinese were also the targets of the same sort of claims that are hurled at the Afghans et al. Namely, that they carried hoards of gold. That they were really spies and criminals. That they deliberately used their children to gain sympathy. That they were given cars as soon as they stepped on Australian shores, as well as being given preferential treatment for jobs. The Vietnamese are still victims of this vicious mythology and it'll be a generation or two before it ceases. But, for the Indo-Chinese boat people, the worst is over, thanks to the spotlight being turned on the new arrivals. Legality? It isn't a question under international conventions. No asylum-seeker is illegal until his or her case is assessed. The true name should be "unwanted immigrants". Calling them "illegals" wins elections. Calling them "unwanted" might stir too many consciences. | ||
| Clarification | ||
| Dennis McGrath | 4/7/2002 | |
| Just to clarify for J.Leslie, I was referring only to the illegal immigrants, not the ones who came here by legitimate means. As for our homeless and unemployed having a queue to stand in, would it not be better if they had a home and a job? I would like to know what fantasy land you live in. | ||
| ... and further | ||
| Jim Leslie | 4/7/2002 | |
Thank you Mr McGrath. 1. No immigrant is illegal until their case is heard. All are asylum seekers. 2. Our homeless and unemployed WOULD be better off not being either. 3. I live in Latrobe City, an area one doesn't normally fantasise about. I assume Mr McGrath is inferring that the asylum seekers debate has some bearing on point 2, but I can't see how a non-English speaking person with no Australian qualifications can take any jobs from locals. Unless the jobs are something like fruit-picking or other seasonal work Australians generally don't flock to. As to juvenile homelessness, street kids are homeless for a variety of reasons, none of which has anything to do with asylum seekers. No, the idea of community settlement of asylum seekers waiting to have their cases heard is a good one. No doubt it would be an education for both immigrants and their hosts. | ||
| Are we talking about the same thing? | ||
| Dennis McGrath | 10/7/2002 | |
| Mr. Leslie, I am sorry for the tardy response but I have been busy. I don't think we are talking about the same thing. I am talking about those who arrive on our shores by illegal means. You say these people are legal asylum seekers. Let me know what book you read that in? These people are breaking the law and trying to come into ur country by the back door. The boat people cannot be classed in the same category as or modern day boaties.We were involved in Vietnam and therefore had a responsibility to try to help these people. The Americans left many of their former allies high and dry when they pulled out of Vietnam. They had to go somewhere. Today's boat people are a completely different kettle of fish. Back to your point... How do you consider these people to be anything but illegally here? You still show scant regard for our unemployed and homeless. That's someone else's worry eh? | ||
| Reply to Dennis McGrath | ||
| Jim Leslie | 10/7/2002 | |
| Instead of repeating my arguments all over again, I refer Dennis McGrath to a useful and impartial document which outlines the positions taken in the Tampa argument. He might like to go to http://www.echoed.com.au/tampa.html to read it. The article also contains links to other sites which look at things such as the laws of the sea and the international refugee conventions. The article contains BOTH sides of the issue. As to the unemployed and homeless, I've been both. Refugees had nothing to do with it. >Mr. Leslie, > >I am sorry for the tardy response but I have been busy. I don't think we are talking about the same thing. I am talking about those who arrive on our shores by illegal means. You say these people are legal asylum seekers. Let me know what book you read that in? These people are breaking the law and trying to come into ur country by the back door. The boat people cannot be classed in the same category as or modern day boaties.We were involved in Vietnam and therefore had a responsibility to try to help these people. The Americans left many of their former allies high and dry when they pulled out of Vietnam. They had to go somewhere. Today's boat people are a completely different kettle of fish. > >Back to your point... How do you consider these people to be anything but illegally here? > >You still show scant regard for our unemployed and homeless. That's someone else's worry eh? > | ||
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