NEWS FLASH: Joe Hockey finds some Principles!
Shadow Treasurer and traditionally Liberal party loyalist Joe Hockey has spoken out against the Gillard government’s plans to send unaccompanied minors off to Malaysia under the compromised proposal put forward by Independent Rob Oakeshott.
Mr Hockey spoke of his father, Richard, who came to Australia in the post-World War II migration in 1948 after “waiting his turn” during the asylum seeker debate in Parliament yesterday.
“I will say one thing to you,” he said. “I’ll say it deliberately to this parliament. I will never, ever support a people-swap where you can send a 13-year-old child unaccompanied to a country without supervision. Never. It will be over my dead body.”
The Opposition Treasury spokesman said he was not wrestling with his conscience after voting against the Oakeshott bill, which left open Malaysia as a location for offshore processing.
“The compromise that the Leader of the Opposition (Tony Abbott) offered today went some way forward to offering a solution — be it Nauru, or Manus Island, or somewhere else,” Mr Hockey said.
Mr Hockey also revealed that he had fought with John Howard over the Pacific Solution option of processing asylum-seekers in Nauru.
“And I opposed it until the moment he assured me that at all times Australians would be able to supervise the people that were sent there, that they would be protected, that they would have healthcare and education support,” Mr Hockey said.
“Until he could assure me that those most vulnerable would be protected, that was when I agreed with him and I was prepared to cross the floor in a previous government with the absolute majority in this place because I disagreed with the treatment of those most vulnerable by my prime minister.”
He said Mr Howard and then immigration minister Philip Ruddock personally assured him “that no child would ever be abandoned in another country once they had come under the guardian protection of Australia”.
Mr Hockey said the Gillard government was asking MPs to support a situation under the Malaysia people deal where a 13-year-old child could be sent to another nation without regard for their welfare.
“And even if we have words from the Immigration Minister (Chris Bowen) about it being a case-by-case basis, it is the threat of it and from time to time the enactment of it that is the most damning thing for our conscience,” he said.
Mr Hockey said he knew from his own background and his actions in the past that he was going to be consistent, “no matter how painful it might be in the electorate . . . I rest easy on this because I am being entirely consistent with what beats within my soul”.
He has previously said that his father migrated to Australia from the Middle East and was the son of an Armenian father and a Palestinian mother. His father was a Christian who grew up in Jerusalem. Mr Hockey has said his father taught him “tolerance”.
theguttertrash.com 
Why is it that Hockey always has to refer to his parents and his background. He remains one of those politicians who excels in gymnastic performance when justifying any position. I seriously doubt that the man has any principles at all. As venal, and self-serving as his leader, the rest of the NO Coalition and the rest of the Parliament who profess to be serving their constituents and are, in reality, serving only themselves.
The behaviour of this thoroughly disgusting bunch makes me ashamed to have a passport that classifies me as an Australian.
Why not give credit where it is due? There is plenty else to criticise about Hockey. On this issue it just might be that his family circumstances do inform his position.
“I seriously doubt that the man has any principles at all.”
Is there anyone on the other side of politics you would apply that statement to? Or are you just trolling?
‘…serving only themselves.’
Politicians are only human, yet mindful of their duty to the party and country…as well as saving their seat.
That’s all very well for Hockey to say, but those unaccompanied minors need to get the message, we don’t want them here!
And it’s for their own good!
—————————-
Talking of principles… can anyone name just one that Gillard has?
(I don’t believe there are any “trolls” here)
Hey Splatterbottom it’s a bit like ‘well I came from a poor family’ entitling you to the imprimatur that you therefore understand all about poor families. Um! Don’t think so.
Also, in my sweeping statement I also included the whole lot of these venal, self-serving duds that profess to be representing their constituents, and the country. To clarify that includes the Greens, Labor, and the Independents.
‘Never were so many, poorly served by so few, who are totally undeserving of any praise whatsoever!’ Sorry Mr Churchill.
AM I ANGRY AT THIS BUNCH OF USELESS TIME-SERVERS? Yeh! Just a tad!
PS: Do I feel better.
Oh yesss I do. But they are still a useless bunch of time-servers, one and all!
“I seriously doubt that the man has any principles at all.”
So deknarf is quite happy to send unaccompanied minors to Malaysia to take their chances running the gauntlet of all sorts of predatory behaviour.
Have you ever been there ?
I have
Who did you say had no principles ?
“AM I ANGRY AT THIS BUNCH OF USELESS TIME-SERVERS? Yeh! Just a tad!”
According to this poll 90% of Australia agrees with you.
http://www.smh.com.au/polls/opinion/political-news/asylum-seeker-politics-20120628-213lm.html
”I also included the whole lot of these venal, self-serving duds that profess to be representing their constituents, and the country. To clarify that includes the Greens, Labor, and the Independents.”
Have you suddenly become more intelligent? No one is ever disappointed if they have very, very low expectations of the behavior of all politicians. When politicians talk about their principles, put it in the bank, because quite soon it can be used as evidence against them.
It’s interesting to witness the DEAFENING SILENCE from those who profess to be on “the left” side of politics, when it comes to assessing Gillard’s determination to send people offshore to Malaysia when they OUTRIGHTLY CONDEMNED the Howard government from doing same.
Hypocrisy much?
Yes, it really is shocking.
When the first unaccompanied 14 or 15 year old girl or boy is sent to Malaysia, how will they respond? Because that’s the policy they are now supporting.
It’s more than that, ToM. They are supporting a policy that gives power to Scott Morrison 😯 to dump asylum seekers in Burma. Because that’s what it amounts to…..removing the High Court determined restriction on ministerial discretion.
An excellent summary of the implications from Rob Burgess here…
http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/06/28/why-the-boats-bill-must-be-allowed-to-pass/
(Rubbish; the explanatory memo refs human rights standards and implies residual-external powers of check; Oakeshott isn’t an idjit; nor is Wilkie.)
“Also, in my sweeping statement I also included the whole lot of these venal, self-serving duds that profess to be representing their constituents, and the country. To clarify that includes the Greens, Labor, and the Independents.”
Good to hear. I apologise for the ‘troll’ reference.
I see one of ToM’s “barrackers” has started making claims that parts of the modern Liberal Party are controlled by remnants of the German Nazi Party.
Whenever comparisons with Adolf are brought up you kinda know that they really are not at all interested in any humanitarian solution and are simply a reflection of the evil that they actually accuse others of being.
They really are brain dead and not worth arguing with.
Hey Jaws,
“So deknarf is quite happy to send unaccompanied minors to Malaysia to take their chances running the gauntlet of all sorts of predatory behaviour.”
1. Weren’t these minors coming unaccompanied to Australia on a piece of junk shipware courtesy of the caring Indonesians. How’s that for looking after your children.
2. What makes you believe that ‘all sorts of predatory behaviour’ is absent from this fair land of Oz? Could mention some religions and childrens associations, slave prostitutes in Sydney, sweat shops — but I won’t!
Splatterbottom, apologies for ‘troll’ reference accepted. Though I may be a supporter of Labor, I do try to be multipartisan in my commentary about the garbage that inhabits the Federal parliament today. 😉 And, before you get too excited — I’m referring to the whole bl**dy lot of them! ;-]
“Weren’t these minors coming unaccompanied to Australia on a piece of junk shipware courtesy of the caring Indonesians. How’s that for looking after your children.”
So 1 week or so on a crowded boat followed by Australian monitored supervision somehow equates to perhaps years in a slum in Malaysia where human rights are not supervised/enforced.
Well that’s an interesting comparison deknarf…………
1. I don’t think the youths were Indonesian.
2. There is predatory behaviour in Australia, but there is also a decent network of support structures that simply don’t exist in Malaysia.
3. The notion of forcibly sending an unaccopmanied 14 year old to Malaysia is sickening, but when that happens I’m sure all the barrackers willl have to celebrate the success of this policy.
The Malaysian solution is hard to support. I do not know who came up with this little extra add-on
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-to-post-expulsions-on-youtube-in-bid-to-deter-refugees-2330737.html
“Hence the plan to film the unfortunate 54 as they land on Christmas Island, board the plane to Malaysia and arrive in camps in Kuala Lumpur for processing. The footage will be posted on the video-sharing website YouTube and the social-network site Facebook, with asylum-seekers’ faces pixelated.”
It is not surprising that the Coalition does not want to support this. What is surprising however is that no-one from the ALP is outraged at the Malaysian policy.
What is surprising however is that no-one from the ALP is outraged at the Malaysian policy.
You really are “selective” in your comprehension, Noddy
I have been advocating on-shore assessemnt and Australian controlled offshore assessement as long as this “debate” has been raging … and I railed against the Malysia Policy from the beginning … a retraction would be “nice”, we obviously don’t get apologies from you …
I was referring to the TPS mob and Cafe patrons TB…
But if it makes you any better…
“What is surprising however is that no-one from the ALP, with the exception of TB, is outraged at the Malaysian policy.”
😉
Reb and Neil are sock puppets????
😯
ahem
Neil is actually Angry Anderson.
LOL!
“and I railed against the Malysia Policy from the beginning”
I was talking about your Lords and Masters in parliament. As far as I know not a single ALP MP has voted against the Malaysian solution. Good grief. They even want to post videos of the poor unfortunates being dragged onto a plane and landing in Malaysia as a deterrent.
Good grief … the “game’s afoot” as Tarzan might say on the current, Survivor!
So the Gillard decides to form a focus group headed by Angus H
Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark
Even Tony Jones opened Lateline with video of the Gillard and his own voice over with stating
“it must be time for another committee”
WOW
And the Oz is claiming this morning that the Gillard has effectively outsourced the prime ministership.
She really is trying to steal the crown of worst ever PM from McMahon.
And at least he had Sonia going for him