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Wednesday May 22, 2013

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What is a human life worth?

Posted by: Peter Maher | 13 October, 2011 - 4:25 PM
Australia's influx of asylum seekers hotly debated

West Australian National MP Tony Crook has scuttled Julie Gillard's plans to send 800 illegal refugees to Malaysia in return for 4,000 refugees already detained in that country.

His reason for not agreeing with the proposal is due to Malaysia not being a party to the United Nations Refugee Conventions mandate.

Nauru is a signatory to this convention and Tony Crook said he would agree to the refugees being sent there which is the alternative proposal being put forward by the opposition.

This refugee debate is so highly politicised it is difficult to know whether the most important people in this debate and those being the refuges, whether their best interests are being looked after by any of the political parties.

There is no doubt as well that there is more opposition to the proposal of off shore processing than what there was twelve months ago. What is also quite evident is that we are no closer to a solution to this ongoing problem today than we were twelve months ago as well.

The obvious debate that is occurring now is do we need to process offshore and detain refugees to discourage them from risking their lives in non seaworthy vessels. We still do not have an accurate assessment of how many refugees drown attempting to make it to our shores.

What is not in dispute though is that there are going to be more and more disaffected people seeking refugee status not only in Australia but any country where they feel their life can be improved compared to where they are now.

The estimated cost of the Malaysian solution is reported to be around 296 million dollars which equates to about $60,000 per person to transport and process.

This is one of the only issues being debated in this country at the moment where cost is not relevant. Human life all of a sudden is not worth much.

Carbon tax passed Wednesday

Gillard and Bob Brown YOUR FEEDBACK: Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Australians need to stop questioning the commitment of the rest of the world to climate change. Neil Mitchell says the carbon tax is not that simple.

Blog comments Your Say

  • Well said Jan,Polya's comments are clearly racist against western countries,he fails to mention the cruel barbaric treatment of women and children in muslim countries by their own people>!!

    Steve Friday 14 October, 2011 - 4:04 PM

  • Dr Gideon, do you ever complain about the persecution Christians get in those countries or do you feel sorry for the Muslims only?

    Peggy Friday 14 October, 2011 - 3:54 PM

  • Gideon Polya, you forget to mention the gender abuse & genocide committed by Muslim countries. The treatment of females within Islam ideology is disgusting and brutal, I am sure you are aware as recently as this week a woman has been sentenced to 90 lashes and a year imprisonment for appearing in a film, never mind the ongoing daily abuse these women suffer.
    I am sure you are aware of the appalling treatment of women in Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and many other Muslim countries, you forget to note your own racism coming through so clearly do you not?

    Jan Friday 14 October, 2011 - 2:53 PM

  • Well if you ask me, National MP Tony Crook has just betrayed his country to international people smugglers. Roll out the welcoming mat because here they come. 600 a month and counting. Maybe Crook should accommodate them in his own electorate since he's so worried about their international human rights. LIKE HELL HE WILL!!!

    Crook by Name... Friday 14 October, 2011 - 12:58 PM

  • Lost in all the debate is the reality that 20 million Muslim refugees in the world today are variously fleeing US or US-backed violence in Occupied Somalia (2.0 million), Occupied Palestine (7 million), Occupied Iraq (5-6 million), Occupied Afghanistan (3-4 million) and US robot-bombed NW Pakistan (2 million) (Google "Muslim Holocaust, Muslim Genocide"). Former PM Kevin Rudd described those trying to find safe haven for desperate refugees as "scum of the earth who should rot in hell". How then should we describe the racist and war mongering Americans, Zionists, Australians and other Europeans who drove 20 million Muslim refugees (over 50% children) out of their Homelands in the first place. Genocide is defined by Article 2 of the UN Genocide Convention as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group" and is vastly more serious than so-called "people smuggling".

    Dr Gideon Polya Friday 14 October, 2011 - 11:35 AM

  • Can somebody PLEASE stop Peter Maher from "contributing" to 3AW drive?
    Don't the management of 3AW listen to their listeners?
    Many have said how glad they were when he was replaced. Pay attention or you are going to lose your base just like Gillard has for the same reason.
    I switch stations when I hear his voice too.

    Peggy Thursday 13 October, 2011 - 9:43 PM

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