Gillard reassures Australia that Asylum Seekers will live in Poverty
The Gillard government is considering releasing asylum seeker families into the community on bridging visas in order to relieve pressure on an a struggling budget and its “border protection system” which is failing to cope with an unprecedented surge in new asylum seeker arrivals.
However the possibility of granting bridging visas and allowing asylum seeker families to live in the community should not be interpreted as a sudden change of heart towards asylum seekers, it’s purely a cost-saving exercise.
According to that bastion of hate media, The Age, the government could save “hundreds of millions of dollars” from the initiative but the Prime Minister has refused to comment on the detail of the proposal.
Instead, Julia Gillard emphasised that the rate of financial assistance paid to asylum seekers – at 89 per cent of the dole – is the lowest available in Australia’s social security system.
”No decision has been taken on that,” she said. ”What we do at the moment is we do release on bridging visas some asylum seekers, particularly single asylum seekers.
”They are not able to access a job. That’s for a very good reason.”
“The clearest advice to us is that if people had work rights that could act as an incentive factor to get on a boat.”
The controversial visas prohibit holders from undertaking paid employment, as part of the overall ”no advantage” policy in place since August last year, which is designed to remove the incentive for people to board boats.
So in other words, asylum seekers are released into the community, forbidden to find work to support themselves and have to find their own accommodation, clothing and food.
Some 300 asylum seekers entered Australian territorials waters this week and a further 400 or so are expected to arrive in the next few days.
Many are unable to speak English, and have nowhere to turn to other than the limited support they may receive from non-government charities.
So they’ll basically be dumped into the community and left to fend for themselves..
That’s nice.
theguttertrash.com 
I heard Ms Gillard on the radio. She’s doing all this for their own good, and if they bother to read The Age when they’re fleeing some hell hole in the Middle East, they’ll know better than to try to come here.
I believe she is about to announce – “We’ll decide who comes here and the conditions under which they come”.. or something equally statesperson like.
‘So they’ll basically be dumped into the community and left to fend for themselves.’
Its bad policy because they will naturally congregate in poor ghettos, which has the potential for social disruption down the track.
The Ord Detention Centre is still in the bottom draw.
Transcript: Scott Morrison ëxplains how a Coalition govt will “stop the boats”…
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3725464.htm
Next step will be to bomb them out of the water. That should send a signal that they’re unwise to board the vessel. But which party will be first to announce that innovation?
“and if they bother to read The Age when they’re fleeing some hell hole in the Middle East”
Yes that is why they come. But I do not believe any more that they are refugees.
Many appear to be from Sri Lanka. While it may not be a nice place to live I do not think there is a war going on.
Millions of people have come to Australia for a better life. Most have come legally through correct channels.
Our 14,000 refugee places should go to people fleeing war or something like that.
This is a difficult policy for the PM and I don’t think she thought it would be so difficult. I think the PM would like to have a differant policy, and might change it if they win.
We have 34,000 hospitality jobs up for grabs and the Americans, seeing our dollar so high, are voting with their feet.
http://www.accomnews.com.au/industry/154-news-in-brief/2700-americans-lured-to-aussie-hospitality-jobs
I went to Egypt once with two mates. Since there were 3 of us we decided to chance our luck in downtown Cairo and go places where tourists usually do not go.
What an eyeopener!!!
Most of Egypt would also come to Australia by boat if they could make it to Indonesia and had $10,000 to pay a smuggler.
However these 14,000 places should be kept for refugees and not for people seeking a better life.
Crikey…
I’ve been asked to do a radio interview in relation to this post…
When you do your interview, please remember it’s T-O-M of M-E-L-B-O-U-R-N-E.
Please let them know that it’s really a site for intellectual heavy weights.
It’s times like these when I think that perhaps I should’ve named the blog something a little more intellectual than the daily trash…
I agree – ‘The Gutter Trash’, sounded like quality.
Reb, better take your lawyer along, just in case.
The Daily Trash is the Fifth Estate.
So when is the interview, and can we listen?!
Could it lead to all of us having a talkback show?
Are we able to sell some shares in TDT to some public suckers astute investors?
Can we get
Eddie Obeid & John Elliottthe Macquarie Bank tooff load the junkassist investors?some public suckersLawyer? Did someone say lawyer?
Sancty Solicitors…..at your service……
Tom of Melbourne has just exposed the NO Coalition plan which Morrison won’t reveal: Rather than turn back the boats they are going to bomb them out of the water!!
I’m sorry to disappoint you but I politely declined their invitation. They contacted me via twitter. Call me a tad sensitive but I didn’t fancy being introduced as Mr Twits from The Daily Trash…
I always thought it was, Mr Twat! Well fancy that? Learn something new every day … 😆
Was it Alan Jones or Ray Hadley ?
Michael Smith?
“Many appear to be from Sri Lanka. While it may not be a nice place to live I do not think there is a war going on.”
Oh dear…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Civil_War
The Sri Lankan military ‘won’ in 2009…I’m sure that the benevolent military would never carry out ongoing reprisals.
Why would anyone, caught on the wrong side post ‘victory’, want to flee such a peaceful place?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Civil_War#Humanitarian_Impact
I get it, Neil. Sri Lanka have a cricket team, ergo… all of the reffos must be economic. 🙄
UNFKNBLVBL
I suppose that everyone should have also stopped fleeing Iraq, the instant that the Invaders/Occupiers declared the war to be over?
Same applies to Afghanistan?
Stupid reffos! don’t they understand that everything becomes hunky-dory as soon as the ‘winner’ ”wins’ ?
You could be forgiven for thinking the war is over in Sri Lanka …no need to take asylum seekers seriously.
The thing is, they may not all be economic refugees, so we have to depend on the authorities to sort the wheat from the chaff. Making sure no genuine refugee is turned away, as we are signatories to the convention.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/103128/the-plight-of-australias-tamil-refugees-sri-lanka/
Strongly agree, el gordo.
“Why would anyone, caught on the wrong side post ‘victory’, want to flee such a peaceful place?”
O.K. I am not up on my Sri lanka civil war history. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the war was over and there is no reason for people to flee Sri Lanka
“I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the war was over ”
It is.
Like all wars, that doesn’t mean that everybody kisses & makes up because some arsehat at the top of the tree declares hostilities to be ceased.
You may also vaguely remember seeing George Bush declaring MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Pretty sure that most of the killing came after that little PR stunt.
At least we have bipartisan agreement on growing Australia.
‘JULIA Gillard is steering the nation’s population on a course to more than 40 million by 2050, despite warning just three years ago against “hurtling towards a big Australia”.
‘New figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today show net overseas migration jumped by almost a third, to 228,000, in the 12 months to September 30 last year.’
Ben Packham in th Oz
If they want to turn the boats back they better have:
-Allot of corks
-A team of mechainics and spares to fix all the broke motors
to make the vessel seaworthy at sea.
The Navy is limited what they can do because of maritime law.
This will back-fire big style.
Is this just Hansonism revisited, some thing to bring out the eletrets inner racist.
“Is this just Hansonism revisited, some thing to bring out the eletrets inner racist.”
You forgot to mention that people who do not want boat people coming to Australia are also Nazi sympathizers
It’s funny how outlander picked me as
an impostera character because my spelling was much better than he expected from your average bogan. Yet he(?) goes out of his way to misspell every second word for his own character. Geddit?What can I say Joey, all of your photos are bogus, but they edjumacated you good at Moe Tech. Sorry about casting Nasturtiums. I did actually get sent to remedial spelling at primary school. Would you accept my sincere appology.
Where actually is Moe Tech? Is that a real place, you seem to refer to it quite often or is it imaginary.
” George Bush declaring MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Pretty sure that most of the killing came after that little PR stunt.”
lt aint over yet Dunny, since troop draw-down, both Iraq and Afghan are kicking off again in different ways. Multi bombings in Iraq. The Afghan police/military training looks like producing the next batch of thugs to torment the citizens.
“there is no reason for people to flee Sri Lanka”
There is no legal reason for them to be granted asylum anymore. There is worst violence just south of our border in Mexico but guess what, very hard for a Mexican’s to claim asylum…But legality is hardly the issue surrounding this topic anymore…All emotion and catch phrases…
At AIMN – it’s hilarious to observe Min try to take the moral high ground on asylum seekers.
Critical of the Liberals!
One thing that Min etc don’t like is exchanging opinions with people that know their history. Being reminded of past principled positions is really inconvenient to them.
The real dilemma in this matter is weedling out the cue jumpers and opportunists who seek asylum from the genuine asylum seekers. If you do some research and read some of their stories, some are just seeking a better way of life and don’t like their governments policies, I dont believe that to be a strict enough reason to jump ship and be given asylum. Perhaps a strict set criteria needs to be followed and the non-genuine sent back to where they come from and told to take the usual channels like alot of other immigrants have to. Alternatively for the genuine, why dont they set up kibbutz’s for them and they can work growing and making their own food whilst their visa’s are being processed. Huge fruit and vegetable farms,nut farms, wheat farms, rice paddies,. They can also work and produce products to sell to the community and gain skills and be productive instead of us having to import cheap products all the time. There is so much they could do. We could reinvigorate the manufacturing industry in Australia instead of hand out,hand out, hand out. That will soon run out. Somehow at the end of the day there needs to be a win win situation for all.
I dont believe that to be a strict enough reason to jump ship and be given asylum.
I do, if you are at odds with your government and your government will persecute, jail, and torture at will, it is a very valid reason to be granted asylum and protection.
If a tyrannical govt cannot be changed, defeated at democratic election, or the next government is just the same, what hope is there for a decent life for someone who opposes their rule?
Do you think humanity, personal freedom and a life free of fear and persecution is dependant upon an accident of birth? Too bad if you draw the short straw in the lottery of life, just accept the misery and don’t ever hope for any better!
‘Too bad if you draw the short straw in the lottery of life, just accept the misery and don’t ever hope for any better!’
We can’t have queue jumpers, its upsetting for those who come legally.
Your bleedin’ heart is plain to see KL and its out of date in the modern age, 97% of asylum seekers are shopping.
‘why dont they set up kibbutz’s for them’
Now there’s a good idea.
If a tyrannical govt cannot be changed, defeated at democratic election, or the next government is just the same, what hope is there for a decent life for someone who opposes their rule?
In fact I’m feeling a bit like that right now …