Good ol’ Clive Palmer, who often sounds like he’s batshit crazy, actually made some sensible comments about Australia’s asylum seeker policy (another reason I’m embarrassed to be an Aussie these days).
Mining magnate Clive Palmer says the Federal Government should allow asylum seekers to fly to Australia to have their claims processed.
A political stalemate has gripped federal politics since two asylum seeker boats capsized, killing almost 100 people.
Mr Palmer does not support offshore processing, and says the current system puts asylum seekers in a difficult position.
He says even though many asylum seekers can afford plane fares, they are not allowed to fly so they turn to the riskier alternative of trying to reach Australia by boat.
“People who are in Indonesia and want to come to Australia cannot buy an airline ticket because the Australian Government stops them,” he told the ABC after the Liberal Party’s national conference.
“All that needs to happen is that the Government needs to stop telling airlines and other people not to give people safe transport.
“If they come down here and if they’re refugees, that’s one thing. If they haven’t got a legitimate claim, they can go right back on the plane the next day.”
(ABC News)
I don’t know who created this graphic, but it’s been doing the rounds on Facebook and it’s pretty damning.
The bottom line as far as I’m concerned is that we have a responsibility to accept genuine refugees, to make their travel to Australia fast and safe, and to process their claims for asylum quickly and efficiently once they are here.
For frak’s sake, people – we are one of the wealthiest countries per capita on the entire planet with the lowest population density to boot. What is WRONG with us? Why are we so mean and churlish? Why are we so selfish and scared?
I seriously think we, as a nation, are suffering from some kind of clinical depression. We have everything going for us and yet we seem to have lost our basic human decency. It’s just not acceptable.