Asylum seekers on Manus Island.
“Australia’s human rights record is increasingly subject to international critique alongside pariah states like Saudi Arabia and North Korea. On the face of it, this juxtaposition is easily rejected. But strong evidence backs the increasing weight of international sentiment opposing Australia’s record.
Australia may already have pariah status in terms of its asylum policies. So why does its government – and perhaps also the majority of its people – seem to care so little for Australia’s tarnished international reputation?
Australia’s behaviour condemned – again
Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2016 condemned Australia for its “abusive” approach to asylum seekers. It noted widespread criticism of Australia’s outsourcing of:”
Read on!
Tags: Asylum, Australia, Human Rights, North Korea, refugees, Saudi Arabia
Oosterman Treats Blog 
August 19, 2016 at 12:40 am |
Australia’s behaviour on this count is dreadful.
LikeLiked by 4 people
August 19, 2016 at 4:43 am |
Even the bodies of refugees who have died ( suicide/ self-immolation) are not allowed here. The Dutton spent forty million dollars on 3 refugees being accepted by Cambodia. Only one refugee is still there. The costs of the private companies looking after the detention camps is over one billion $ per year. That is 1000.000.000.-
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August 19, 2016 at 12:56 pm
It’s now over 450000 dollars per detainee per year. It would cost less than half that to detain them in Aus, and a few thousand to let them into the community. Of course, the cost in terms of our standing in the world, as well as the ongoing health (mainly psychiatric) care for those who make it to the mainland are inestimable. Even just in economic terms it makes no sense. I would have thought that soulless arse hats like Dutton and Morrison would understand this.
LikeLiked by 3 people
August 20, 2016 at 1:33 am
Dutton and Co fear the loss of votes. That’s what it is about.
They are losing votes already, as the last election showed.
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August 21, 2016 at 8:33 pm
Big M says: “It’s now over 450000 dollars per detainee per year. It would cost less than half that to detain them in Aus, and a few thousand to let them into the community. . . .”
Our government has been very successful in scaring a lot of voters into thinking that if we make it for refugees that wonderful to come by boat to Australia to settle here then there very soon a flood of people were going to arrive on our shores so that we could not cope with all this, and that our excellent way of life would be enormously under threat. And Australians are not alone with this kind of thinking. I suspect, a significant number of people in Germany for instance – however, probably not a majority yet – are rather scared of too many refugees flooding their country, and that their government is too welcoming towards them!
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August 21, 2016 at 10:45 pm
Yes, Uta.
I think that the situation in Germany is far more serious than here in Australia. Even Holland and other European countries are being stretched to their limits in coping with the influx of refugees. In Australia the far right party of Hanson got 4% of the national vote. Geert Wilders in Holland has 20% and I am sure that in Germany too, the rise of the extreme right is much bigger.
The humanitarian problem needs humanitarian solutions. Stop bombing!
I noticed that Australia too is helping bomb Syria. No plebiscite needed there!
Even so, Germany is doing far better than Australia coping with huge numbers who simply travel overland to get to Germany. We are deluding ourselves that hundreds of thousands would flood into Australia if the refugees are let into Australia from Nauru and Manus.
Remember, we have strict border control with our coast being surrounded by a ring of naval vessels. If a few thousand slip through, welcome them!
This is a huge country almost uninhabited except by a mere 25 million people in the main cities. There are many cities that have that number.
I believe that only a couple of hundred Syrians (mainly Christians) out of the 12000 that Australia promised to accept, have arrived in Australia so far!
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August 19, 2016 at 6:25 am |
We could home them all here for that kind of money. The treatment of refugees is deplorable, inhumane and illegal. 😦
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August 19, 2016 at 1:13 am |
Makes ya proud … not.
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August 19, 2016 at 4:49 am |
I am proud standing up for refugees but have rather disturbing nightmares of Duttons and Morrisons, it includes hordes of people throwing stones at them while they are totally naked except for wearing a koteka, or penis gourd.
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August 19, 2016 at 5:19 am |
Forget the koteka!
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August 19, 2016 at 6:17 am |
Righto, Yvonne. Care to take the first aim?.
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August 19, 2016 at 6:31 am
You bet! I’ll use a carpet bowl, OK?
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August 20, 2016 at 1:35 am
Yes, Yvonne. I am sure you would be good and not miss the target.
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August 21, 2016 at 10:48 pm |
In the case of Dutton, a reliable source out of Canberra advised me that Dutton’s thimble sized gourd is under repair in the garage work-shop.
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August 19, 2016 at 1:42 pm |
The forces of the right march with a cadence that seems strikingly familiar to that of pre-WWII Germany. And it isn’t only in Australia. Take care my friends. And fight on. –Curt
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August 20, 2016 at 1:36 am |
Thank you, Curt.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 20, 2016 at 10:39 pm |
What more can I say? Dreadful.
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August 21, 2016 at 9:35 pm |
This article discusses the broad financial costs to Australia for offshore processing.
http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/finance-news/2016/08/21/cost-stop-boats-policy-cant-quantified/?utm_source=Responsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20160822_TND
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August 21, 2016 at 10:28 pm |
Yes, a great exposure of the real cost. And the Government wants to cut down on education, health, science! Of course, the humanitarian cost is incalculable.
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