Page 1797 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 June 2016
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What a disgrace it is for our country that a senior federal government cabinet member would make offensive remarks about refugees and then have the Prime Minister of Australia describe him as “outstanding.” What kind of message does this send to the rest of the world? Our reputation as a decent, welcoming, generous nation is diminishing as other countries learn not only about how we treat asylum seekers, who are an easy target and amongst our most vulnerable, but also about how federal government ministers, people who should know better, attack asylum seeks, making us look and sound racist.
Let us go through some of the comments Mr Dutton made and how illogical, flawed and out of touch they are. We can then contrast them with the approach the Stanhope, Gallagher and Barr governments have taken here in Canberra.
Firstly, the federal Liberal immigration minister asserted that refugees “would be taking Australian jobs”. He said this in complete ignorance of the statistics that show that immigration to our country results in a net gain to the economy and drives economic growth. The minister also said this in complete ignorance of the unique skills and work ethic that many refugees bring with them from other countries.
What Mr Dutton fails to understand is that a moderate refugee intake creates jobs and more diverse communities and culture, which benefit all. Where would we be without the Greeks, the Italians and the Brits who came here in numbers after World War II? They were refugees fleeing war-ravaged countries to find a better life for their children. They then went on to build the Snowy hydro, the Riverina and other nation-building projects. The Jennings Germans built dozens of homes right here in Canberra. They were people seeking a haven—refugees from conflict and adversity, not unlike the current crop of refugees.
Minister Dutton said in the very same interview that “many of them that would be unemployed … would languish in unemployment queues and on Medicare and the rest of it”. Where does one even start on the ignorance of this comment? How ridiculous it is for Mr Dutton to imply that refugees come to this country with the goal of simply living off welfare.
The minister clearly does not understand the welfare arrangements in place for refugees. If they are of working age, the requirements for receiving the Newstart allowance are the same for them as they are for everyone else. There are no special welfare arrangements in place once an individual is granted refugee status; in fact, for those on bridging visas, they are much less. Refugees must actively look for work and apply for jobs in order to receive the payment, the same as every other resident.
The reality is that people who have risked everything for a new life are more likely to seize that opportunity and appreciate a chance, perhaps more so than some of us who are born here. If refugees do indeed languish on unemployment queues, it is because of the economic climate and the failures of Mr Dutton’s government to deliver growth in jobs, not because of a lack of willingness to work. That economic climate will not be helped by continued Liberal cuts to services and investment, most readily felt here in Canberra.
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