Comments on: Income management and refugees

By: Fiona Stuchbery

Fiona Stuchbery — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:08:29 +0000

Who is David Hand and what gives him the authority to write on behalf of Middle Australia. For that matter - who or what is Middle Australia?

By: shepherdmarilyn

shepherdmarilyn — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:37:30 +0000

I want someone to remember that the reason people have to become refugees because some other government has been tough on them.

Why the hell do we have to be tough as well? Surely that sort of defeats the whole idea of refuge from persecution if we do it too?

By: james mcdonald

james mcdonald — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:04:41 +0000

Nicolas Brasch, bravo. But I’m sure you’ll agree writing isn’t one size fits all, there’s a place for an individual voice, so Telstra’s Jules Scarlett just might prefer this version (paste into address bar): drboli.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/your-call-is-important-to-us/

By: bakerboy

bakerboy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:56:28 +0000

I agree with Scot Mcphee re the Telstra broadband whinger, the complainant should have read his agreement. You get up to 10 additional email addresses, so the kids can have their own, does cost a $1 a month each though.

By: Hugh (Charlie) McColl

Hugh (Charlie) McColl — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:37:43 +0000

And how come Guy gets a (First Dog) guy and I get a snail?

By: Hugh (Charlie) McColl

Hugh (Charlie) McColl — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:28:05 +0000

David Hand’s contribution was great reading and I enjoyed it. Thanks David.
I’m not sure about the view of Middle Australia though. The idea that a whole raft of our society places a big measure of its existential contentment on the power of the Government to stop the boats from coming, seems a nonsense. Yes, we wish that mummy would bring home that new dress and that the bank manager will just make a big mistake and pay off the mortgage for me and that I can control those impure thoughts and I will be young again. We wish. But we don’t expect anyone at all to take notice of our silly wishes; in fact we keep them to ourselves because it’s just childish nonsense.
Maybe I don’t know anything about Middle Australia although I suspect I might live in it, but I think that many Australians know exactly how bad it must be in middle Tamil Sri Lanka, middle Sunni Iraq and just about anywhere in Somalia or Afghanistan. Let alone freaking, scary Palestine. We can’t just ignore the daily news which constantly reinforces the knowledge that in these places there are fire fights in the streets, friendly or something aircraft shooting rockets into dwellings and cars and pretty serious mayhem from time to time - all completely unavoidable if you happen to live there. We mightn’t have much idea about how we’d personally handle the arrival of a whole bunch of strangers at our place, at some inconvenient moment when we were just going to deal with something else. But I reckon I’d try my best to make it happen if I could. I want my government to try to make it happen. I don’t want ‘open slather’ and I don’t want piss weak excuses. I expected all along that the boats would come but I’m not freaking out about it and I don’t want the government to freak out either.
I know the government has a bloody challenge on its hands but I don’t think it’s funny. And I don’t think most Australians (or any other nationality) are uncaring about asylum seekers - any of them, from wherever they come. We just have to find a different nature in ourselves and in our language and try to control the rebellious child in ourselves.

By: Guy Rundle

Guy Rundle — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:38:59 +0000

David, why don’t you try reading my articles - I’m saying the exact opposite of what you’re attributing to me. I’m suggesting that the government is talking about ‘children behind barbed wire’ in the Howard years, because the public want a policy that his both tough but also recognises the humanity of refugees. If that wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t be raising those sorts of images. Nostaligc as you are for the Howard era THINGS.HAVE.CHANGED.