Tens of thousands of highly skilled would-be migrants are living in Australia, unable to contribute their skills to the country’s labour force due to bureaucracy and bad policy. The government happily accepts their application fees, but offers little in return.
Immigration
Memo Rudd: an asylum solution
Bernard Keane offers the Prime Minister a few thoughts on how to resolve the Oceanic Viking stand-off.
New York Times: Australia fears boat people from Asia
How does the world view Australians following to our treatment of refugees? Here’s the New York Times’s take: “Australia Puts Its Refugee Problem on a Remote Island, Behind Razor Wire”. Super.
Kerr: Rudd gets in a refugee spin
Rudd’s refugee media blitz is just confusing voters, because they don’t want confusing jargon filled explanations, they just want action. Kevin Rudd needs to dump the political cliches and rethink his media strategy, writes Christian Kerr.
Rudd throws water on the asylum seeker flames
Kevin Rudd isn’t fighting the Opposition over refugees, he’s battling the media, and desperately attempting to depoliticise the issue. Look for the telltale Rudd fear fuelled top lip disappearance.
Let’s not abandon them to die at sea
Another boat has sunk, leaving desperate asylum seekers to drown in their attempts to get a better life. Amongst all the tough talking and negotiations with Indonesia, we mustn’t forget ourselves as a civilised nation, writes Tony Kevin.
Sheridan: Being hypocritical appears to be the Australian Solution
So, Indonesia did Australia a favour by agreeing to take boat people and house them in their detention centres and all they’ve got from it is a bunch of bad publicity? Time for the lefties to get over the fanatical hypocrisy and stop supporting people smugglers, writes Greg Sheridan.
Tough new restrictions on visits to detention centres
Serco — the company behind troubled UK immigration detention centres and prisons and now the contractor in Australia — has introduced a tough new regime to inhibit visitors to Australian detention centres, writes Trish and John Highfield.
Don’t kid yourself Kev, it’s not just the refugees
Yesterday’s damning Newspoll result wasn’t just because of the government’s “tough but humane” rhetoric on asylum seekers. What about all the other stuff ups by the Rudd government like climate change, Timor Sea oil spill and supporting a corrupt Afghan government?
Costello: I agree with Rudd on refugees, stand tough
It’s easy to criticise government policy on asylum seekers from the comfort of your middle class life, which will never see the inside of a leaky boat. We need to take a clear stand against people smugglers, says Peter Costello.
In defence of people smugglers
Kevin Rudd may deride people smugglers as the “scum of the Earth”, but for Andrew Casey, they’re the people who gave him the opportunity for a better life.
Eva Cox: Rudd losing high moral glow
There has been a lot of speculation about the causes of the big drop in the government’s popularity writes Eva Cox. Is it because it Kevin Rudd’s morals have disappeared and we see he’s just another expedient political animal?
Crikey Says: A late scratching for Abbott
Eleven people are missing, perhaps lost at sea, off the Cocos Islands. One is confirmed dead. Who does Tony Abbott choose to blame?
Kevin Rudd knows nothing, even less than Alan Jones
The Prime Minister has developed a too-cute-by-half strategy of professing ignorance about the handling of events in Indonesia, reflecting his ongoing struggle to find a communications strategy that will enable him to get control of the issue again.
Why do we keep all the disabled kids out?
All immigrants to Australia must pass a health check. Fair enough, except the health conditions favour those from wealthy countries and disadvantage children. Australia views immigrant disabled kids as just a large medical bill.
Possum: The first big poll on asylum seekers
The long awaited polling on public perceptions of the asylum seeker issue is in, finding 52% think the Government is too weak on border protection and 66% support the decision to turn back boats. Possum Comitatus has more.
How will history judge Rudd?
Kevin Rudd cares deeply for his historical legacy, but it’s not yet time to pen History of Rudd the Great. Refugee policy, preventative health and tax changes will all mark his prime ministership, says Josh Gordon.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: The distressing asylum seeker debate
Strong emotions about the asylum seeker debate brings out an ugly side of the Australian character, writes one Crikey reader on the refugee hysteria. Plus, how accurate were Brian Burke and Alan Carpenter comparisons?
Mungo MacCallum: Mungo: Tough stance on boat people borders on the ridiculous
“Border protection” — the very phrase is ominous. It evokes a country under siege, its frontiers threatened by the rampaging armies of Attila the Hun. No wonder our politicians feel that they have to be tough about it.
“Tough but humane” will never cut it as a bumper sticker
“Closing the Gap”, “Education Revolution”, “Building Australia” — Kevin Rudd loves condensing his policies into neat little slogans. But asylum seekers are far too complex an issue to ever be summed up in a three-word sound-bite, says Lyndal Curtis.
Sheehan: 10 reasons why Australia isn’t racist
After copping flack for a column on refugees, Paul Sheehan lists the top ten arguments for why Australia isn’t a xenophobic nation. Like, Howard let more Muslims in than anyone.
Hartcher: Rudd spears the centre while the Opposition misses the target
Kevin Rudd’s handling of asylum seekers is a pure numbers game, says Peter Hartcher. Rudd’s aiming at the centre because the lefties will just vote Labor anyway. Lucky for him, the Opposition have forgotten their audience.
Downer: The delight I feel watching Rudd mess it up
Alexander Downer is loving the schadenfreude of seeing Kevin Rudd battle Indonesia over asylum seekers. He should have learnt from Tampa that negotiating with Indonesia on refugees is never a good idea.
Best to stay on the boat and avoid Indonesia’s corruption
Indonesia has a notoriously corrupt justice system, yet we have agreed to send innocent people seeking asylum in Australia there. Angela Dewan explores the overcrowded, under funded and crooked Indonesian jails.
Meet Kevin Rudd’s “scum of the earth”
The two men charged with bringing a boatload of Afghani asylum seekers into Australian waters appeared before the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory last week. Are these the people really “scum of the Earth”?
