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Saturday May 25, 2013

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Government's asylum seeker plan will build resentment amongst everybody

Posted by: Neil Mitchell | 22 November, 2012 - 10:20 AM
Asylum seekers

Today I believe the asylum seeker debate has entered a whole new area for Australia.

We have been concerned about the dangers of people coming here on boats and dying on the way. We have been concerned about the dangers of undesirables and terrorists sneaking into the country with evil intent. We have been concerned about the huge financial cost of handling all this huge cost while we are cutting payments for cancer drugs.

Now I believe there is reason to argue that the federal government’s new policy is dangerous to us. I believe it is potentially dangerous to people on the streets of Australia.

No, I am not saying that to demonise asylum seekers; It is a simple fact of human nature.

What the government now plans is to put into the community thousands of asylum seekers, to leave them there at least five year while their future is decided. To give them basic welfare, around $270 a week, and to ban them from working.

So I don’t care how decent the person might be when they arrive. Imagine if you are a strong, fit young man. You have come to a foreign country, you are told to sit in a flat in Flemington, Footscray or Springvale with your mates in the same situation.

Sitting in this foreign country, with just enough money to get by and nothing to do, and told: “You must not go to work and sit there for five years, at least.”

What would you do? Of course that will breed resentment, dislocation, alcohol abuse and anti-social behaviour.

Young, fit, healthy, bored, frustrated men. Yes, it is likely to breed crime. Not because they are people from another culture, not because they are black or green or whatever colour they are, but if you put anybody from any culture in that situation, you are asking for trouble.

You are asking for huge social problems. What do they do? Get up in the morning and sit around smoking and drinking coffee?

This, I repeat, is dangerous.

I am not saying I have the answer here, but the only people who think this way is an answer is the Labor party.

The refugee advocates hate it, they say it is worse than John Howard’s plan – his temporary visas at least were only three years and people were allowed to work.

Look, I know you can’t encourage asylum seekers, there should be a deterrent to coming here, you can’t just jump the queue. I understand they can’t get special treatment, but this is not an answer – it guarantees trouble.

It will create an underclass unable to work legally, fiddling in the black economy or anything else. All this is supposed to remove the incentive for people to come to Australia by boat, by nothing seems to work there.

Since the new off-shore processing was finally announced after all the dramas and the tears, since August 7,829 people have arrived – a record number. 30,000 since Labor took power under Kevin Rudd five years ago.

The deterrent is not working. At least not yet.

Christmas Island and the facilities are full. The bills are huge and resentment is returning. But the problem continues and we have to deal with it without creating potential danger on the streets.

At the moment, the government is lost. There is no simple answer and I’m not sure the Opposition has one.

I repeat: this is not a racist issue. Talk to Les Twentyman. He will tell you about exactly this problem. Group of youth, some from Africa, some local with no work and nothing to do. Dislocated, sitting around on welfare, looking for and causing trouble.

It has exactly the same potential. Potentially, this is building ghettoes and that will build resentment amongst everybody.

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Blog comments Your Say

  • IAN, silly comment, for starters I am a pensioner who rents and even if I did have a spare room there is no way that I would house an illegal immigrant, they could well be a terrorist coming to our country for the sole purpose of creating a mayhem.

    Willow Monday 3 December, 2012 - 3:15 PM

  • Garry & Willow & Vicki.??? Use your house to house these "ILLEGALS"

    IAN Monday 3 December, 2012 - 12:35 PM

  • abbott will be licking his lips,if he wins the next election he will have workers ready to go for $271 a week.bad move julia...

    garry Thursday 22 November, 2012 - 7:51 PM

  • To bloody right this will cause resentment. Low income Australian families in need and Pensioners have to go on a waiting list for years for economical housing and yet quality housing is miraculously available to newcomers who come here illegally.

    Willow Thursday 22 November, 2012 - 6:47 PM

  • maybe we should all give up work,stop paying taxes.It seems that homeless AUSSIES miss out again.ELECTION,ELECTION,ELECTION PLEASE.

    vicki Thursday 22 November, 2012 - 6:01 PM

  • How many genuine asylum seekers are waiting in overseas camps in appalling conditions for their applications to come to Australia to be processed, but don't have the money to bribe or otherwise pay their way here. There is a queue of applicants abiding by the rules, and their applications are being delayed by these queue jumpers. I say, give the asylum seekers in the camps priority and give the rest the option of going into a camp at the back of the queue, or a TPV with no possibility of their family following and being accepted.

    David T. Thursday 22 November, 2012 - 5:24 PM

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