Most Australians want a tougher stand on boatpeople

Ron says:

06:52am | 03/11/09

More boats lose votes - simple Kevin and the polls are telling you this loud and clear

Bernie Brown says:

07:00am | 03/11/09

These people should be returned to wherever they originated from. We have enough problems with housing & unemployed etc as it is. Let’s clean up our own backyard first huh?

Besides, all those refugees entering are given a centrelink payment quite more substantial than ordinary aussies and can be seen sitting in large groups all day long without the need to look for work like the rest of us. Just visit the Moorooka area in SW Qld any week day & see for yourselves that these people simpy do not want to join our community but congregate togather staring down anyone who is not one of them. They obtain very cheap interest rates on loans etc. Many canot speak english yet drive brand new cars, where does the licence issue come into it here? Hello!. If you can’t associate, go home!

Paul Vazzo says:

07:17am | 03/11/09

These people originated from Indonesia so Indonesia is obligated to take them back and further we should make it clear to Indonesia that if they do not control this flood of illegal immigration then they must be held accountable. Imagine the noise if Australia was allowing illegal immigrants to flood into Indonesia…you would never hear the end of it!
I’m a migrant myself and were I come from the law is very clear ,if a country allows a person to entry our country illegally ,that person is returned to that country ,and that country will deal with them .
Seems to me our leaders are more worried about gaining votes ,than making our country safe , bending laws to accommodate these so called refugees .

Adele says:

07:18am | 03/11/09

“These people should be returned to wherever they originated from. ” Goodness that makes me angry. If we ever need to seek refuge in another country I hope they’re more compassionate to us than we are to them.

DWest says:

07:18am | 03/11/09

@bernie yeah meanwhile Labor like Howard, brings in 100,000s of immigrants into overpacked cities. We need a tougher stand on our hypocrite pollies and the 1000s of PLANE queue jumpers.

Jolanda says:

07:32am | 03/11/09

What I have to wonder is whether there is ever a limit and if there isn’t how does Australia cope? 

Surely people should be encouraged to unite and fight for their freedom in their own Country as if all the people who have the will and the money to go leave then what about the poor people who are left behind?

Let this be a lesson to all.  A Government that is corrupt very seldom does the right thing by the people.

Education – Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better

B S Goh says:

07:47am | 03/11/09

Australia should stop taking any refugees who try to Australia come by boat or by air. Instead we should take a limited number of refugees from overseas refugee camps. The refugees from Sri Lanka should be encouraged to go to India and from there Australia can take a few of them. But for those who try to come illegally by boat or air we should say NO and send them off to far away islands.

b says:

08:05am | 03/11/09

These asylum seekings are showing a complete disregard for the law.  What advantage is there to Australia to have people come into the country that have no respect for the law and who believe that dishonesty & threats are the way to get their own way?  Nothing.

Boris of Adelaide says:

08:08am | 03/11/09

The poll would have been much more useful if it had asked people if they wanted a return to the Howard-era polcies ie the pacific solution, incarceration of children, TPVs, refugee debt etc. Rudd needs to pu the focus back on the Coalition which is a policy-free zone on refugees at present

Bill says:

08:09am | 03/11/09

Rudd has encouraged these illegal immigrants to make their way to our great country Australia due to his pathetic and gutless stand on border protection.
His policies are a failure.
He has blood on his hands.
He must admit his mistake on this, apologise to the Australian people and adopt the same policy as the previous government which were successful in deterring illegals.

Dee says:

08:09am | 03/11/09

What if returning them to where they originated means they are killed? Are you comfortable with that?

bitrich says:

08:11am | 03/11/09

Peter Lewis is entitled to his opinion- just as the majority fear that IF WE LET IN SOME,  MANY MORE WILL COME.

PM Rudd is trying to be all things to all people, and every new boat load proves that this does not work over time.

Stacy says:

08:15am | 03/11/09

I went through six years of torture going through the proper channels just to become an Australian resident. I work, I pay taxes, spent a small fortune in immigration fees and did everything to fit into Australian society. It frustrates me to see people thinking they are above the law and expect to waltz in and have everything handed to them on a silver platter. If you can’t go through the proper channels then you shouldn’t be here.

vegasbaby says:

08:19am | 03/11/09

If the claims of these asylum seekers are legitimate, then why should we be playing cricket against a country that treats its citizens like this. We didn’t play against apartheid south africa. We should do the same to the sri lankans. Let them fix up their country before we play sport against them.

Expecting a backlash says:

08:20am | 03/11/09

The people who made this country, our elders, no longer have subsidised treatment for arthritis, and treatment for cataracts has now been shut off for all but the rich.
Diabetics have to pay for life-saving needles, while junkies get them for free.
Yet, Illegal immigrants immediately get Medicare and housing, while Legal Immigrants who’ve been waiting for years get pushed back.
And, why here? Don’t their neighbouring countries also follow the UN conventions regarding refugees?

What's the Unions got to do with it? says:

08:21am | 03/11/09

The Boat people are not the true Refugee’s. The true Refugees are still in their Countries. The true Refugees can’t afford to find the money to pay for the trip. It’s only the people with money that can do that and if things are so bad in their Countries, how come they can find the money to bring them and their Wives and Children?
Once they get here, they somehow find the money for a McMansion , beautiful furnishings and.a people mover. That is after they finish getting CentreLink organise. The Rudd Government will back down, you wait and see. The Do-gooders and the Unions are backing the Boat people.  I do hope the Union people and the Do-gooders are going to donate their wages weekly to look after these people. Only fair, they want them.

dylan says:

08:26am | 03/11/09

The govt is weak on this issue and needs to toughen up now and not be blackmailed into accepting illegal arrivals whether by boat or any other means. This looms as an election issue and although Turnbull has a less than 20percent approval rating it will boost the Libs who do not deserve to be in office. The PM must act on behalf of the majority of Aussies who say that we do not want these people here. And yes, I am an immigrant and proud Aussie who did things legally.

Perdix says:

08:33am | 03/11/09

If they can get here legally, then more power to them, they get my support. If they come illegally, then the deal’s off, and they are in effect, criminals.
Some commentary has said that the Sri Lankans on the boat in Indonesia have been in Indonesian refugee camps for up to 5 years…Question, how did they get out of the camp, pay a reputed $7k, ( and where did that money come from)and onto a boat? Is this the Indonesian solution to reduce refugee camp populations? put them on a boat to AU?

Gregory says:

08:36am | 03/11/09

Not asylum seekers. Illegal immigrants who wants to take advantage of our generous social services. If they were really asylum seekers they would go to the coutnry next door, not one thousands of kilometres away.

Nawdy says:

08:41am | 03/11/09

This issue is putting a LOT of pressure on both the ADF, and border protection agencies. The PM says: ‘This is my policy, make it work’, and they are both required to follow this directive; and guess who are the scapegoats when the brown stuff meets the rotating blade? Most people aren’t aware of the physical risk this places on Navy/ Army personnel - this is something I have done in the past, and is akin to boarding suspect vessels in the gulf bordering Iraq. Then there is the risk to Australia’s sovereignty to consider - not every applicant is genuine refugee and, the more boats, the greater the risk.  Review your policy, get our people out of harms’ way, and manage your policy in Australia’s best interests - not what will win the most votes!

PaulMurphy says:

08:52am | 03/11/09

It was summed up in the Australian recently…genuine refugees should not be in a position to select the country they wish to live in, but this is what the current boat loads are doing….After the Vietnam war, refugees simply got out of their country and landed in the nearest available be it Malaysia, HKG, Indonesia, SIN etc etc and were duly processed and granted status in a myriad of other countries, including Australia.
In todays economic climate, how does a person, one used to living in a mud hut and absolute poverty expect to be assimilated into a developed society….you cannot graze goats on the verges of Parramatta Road. They should be grateful that they made it as far as Indonesia where life if marginally better, without the conflit of war.

Jen says:

08:56am | 03/11/09

These people are not asylum seekers. They are ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS who have paid big money to get that boat ride to Australia. They don’t have papers either, so we don’t know who or what they are. I worry for our kids of tomorrow. Australia is no longer the lucky country.

Matt says:

09:00am | 03/11/09

Whatever happened to all the intelligent people who used to comment on Punch posts?
Seriously, some of these comments would be better seen on Andrew Bolt’s blog. I would have thought some of these posters might have been too busy wearing Aussie flag hats and protesting against Muslim schools…
Bit of compassion people. Or have you forgotten that we’re all immigrants here?

Ben says:

09:11am | 03/11/09

This is a sad day for Australia. These so call “queue jumpers”  cross oceans and arrive on small beaten up boats, I would not jump on one of these boats even to cross the Brisbane river. Most but not all of these people are Refugees and should be protected. The illegals who are not refugees should be sent home. 

How can Australians support refugees but want to ban on how they arrive here. Gees how many direct flights are there from Kabul International to Sydney International? Ummm None!!!!!! So I gather the you all want the refugees to book a birth on a P & O Ocean Liner to get out here!!!!!

If we really want to stop illegals arriving in Australia then Australians should campaign the Goverment on banning and closing all international airports in Australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tony says:

09:13am | 03/11/09

Dude - get with the times. The Sri Lankan civil war finished MONTHS ago. The current president is desperately trying to engage the Tamils politically, wants more of them to join the police and military and is even offering civil servants $250 to learn their language. There is no reason for them to come here except for the fact that we offer free medical and more allowances to refugees than our own pensioners. Send them home to rebuild their country.

Barry Stuart says:

09:16am | 03/11/09

You got it so wrong Mr Rudd admit your error and revert back to the policies of the Howard government.These illegal arrivals are not genuine refugees simply people seeking a new way of life via sneeking in the back door.Put a halt to this illegal practice immediately.

Carlos Mascarenas says:

09:31am | 03/11/09

Australia should be vigilant to protect its border otherwise unending boatloads of asylum seekers will be coming ino this generous country.  UN should be tasked to manage and should talk to the leaders of the countries where these refugees are coming from .  Centrally,  UN should take charge of the distribution of financial assistance and aid to these poor countries . They can exert pressure on the leaders to take care of their people otherwise “no AID” and GRACES will be coming into them.  Economic sanctions should also be considered to those countries which are very hostile to their people & constituents.  Our PM is doing his best but he can’t win this because this is a “GLOBAL” issue.  What he can probaly do is to talk to UN and provide this solution.  These refugees will certainly choose Australia over other countries as they perceived that this country is humanitarian,( heaps of human rights here),  generous and quite supportive of the oppressed.  At this stage,  Australia should do its best to turn away these boatloads of refugees because we don’t know “who they really are”.

Eric says:

09:37am | 03/11/09

Peter Lewis’ attitude is typical of the arrogant ruling classes.

He believes it’s the role of the government to tell people what to think. In a democracy, it’s the role of the people to tell the government what to do.

Paul G says:

09:38am | 03/11/09

I would like to point a few things out to people who say thousands of people come in to Australia on a plane and don’t go home. They have there passports, and they originally have a travel visa, etc, so we know there here and we know there names because they have passports. The number of over-stayers has been constant, some 25,000, for the past 5 years, no increase - quite a few are caught by customs and police. The other thought I would like people to have is Tamil Tigers were not ‘freedom fighters’, they make the Taliban look like Catholic Nuns on a cake drive.  They especially liked suicide attacks on non-combatants, especially groups of children. Do a little research, they killed well over 100,000 innocent people. Canada, Britain and the EU have designated the Tamil Tigers as a ‘Terrorist Organisation’ - Australia has not! If any tigers are found in Sri Lanka they will be tried and if found guilty - executed, that’s also a reason there getting out of Sri Lanka, escaping there crimes. We don’t want them here, they will just bring it with them.

hoofman says:

09:41am | 03/11/09

The usual tripe on this issue from the rednecks that stalk media articles about refugees. ‘Not asylum seekers, illegal immigrants’. It is not illegal to come to Australia and claim asylum. ‘They just want to bludge on our social security’. Having risked everything to escape a war torn poverty stricken country, is it any wonder they want to bypass other similar countries and come to a peaceful properous country? Is that something that deserves punishment? ‘Queue jumpers’. When the ‘queue’ can’t even be found - for example there is no Australian embassy in Afghanistan, or if the queue is a filthy hazardous refugee camp with up to 200,000 people, as in Sri Lanka, is it any wonder that they don’t want to face years of danger and uncertainty there? C’mon, admit it, many of you don’t like immigrants and now you have an excuse to come out against this group.

Joe Commuter says:

09:45am | 03/11/09

To quote Deputy PM Jooolia, every boat arrival is a sign of failed policy. Tragically, the deaths in the Indian Ocean are an even bigger human tragedy.
Rudd has got to stop faffing around and take a stand. I wonder if he is up to it. His natural default position on most thigns is always to dither…..

Con Cerned says:

09:56am | 03/11/09

If Rudd wants to increase the population of Australia, why doesn’t he take in people that will be easily absorbed into the community?
People whose priority is to become an Australian, and whose background in religion, culture and national interests will not interfere with our beliefs and way of life.

Grolschsipper says:

10:04am | 03/11/09

I remember throwing stones and insults at the slanty eyed skinny kids that came out of South Vietnam. Now I am older and I have come to appreciate that if you give someone a chance, and only a chance, nothing more, they will return the favour 10 fold. Those slanty eyed skinny kids are now an integral part of Australian society & identity and are now an asset to Australia because they now contribute so much.

For God’s sake, let them in. This is an investment in the growth of our country, not a drain on our public purse.

War and rape are evil. But so is racism. If this is the attitude that my beloved country has taken then this little Jew is ready to go back to war-torn Germany.

Alternate solution says:

10:04am | 03/11/09

I struggle to understand why we are using a lot of energy arguing on such a low number of boat people. We take 14,000 refugees each year at around $150,000 each in I understand social support and Dept. of Immigration costs let alone the cost to the ADF and border security agencies. So make it a round $200K each. This is unsustainable. Oh and last year we are told there are another 10,000 in Indonesia ready to go. Did I mention there are 20 million refugees world wide and each year we have 3 miilion more ?

No Western Government has come up with a viable solution to dealing with asylum seekers or the refugee problem yet we are wasting billions of dollars in Australia each year to postpone making a decision.

What will we do when Climate Change refugees hit our shores? Repel them with armed force? Some estimate that the current problem will be overwhelmed within 50 years. I ask why is Federal Labor after a 50% increase in population, is it that they can see the future ? 

The most (long term) humane approach is to rebuild countries into sustainable communities. To afford that level of aid we would have to cut refugee and asylum-seeker numbers drastically. An unintended benefit to this policy is that when refugees see that we take no-one then we don’t have a boat problem.

However we must continue to be generous, overly generous to look after these desperate people.

RAC says:

10:07am | 03/11/09

Boris of Adelaide, why does the focus need to be put back on the opposition for their Asylum Seeker policies, in case you didn’t notice, they’re not the government, Labour are, only their policies matter!  Oh and as for your emotive crap about children locked up.  More have been locked up under Rudd than the last years of Howard.  Every family was taken out of ‘guarded’ accommodation by Howard, and placed in community detention.  Rudd quietly put them back in ‘guarded’ facilities, denying them any freedom.  You know not what you talk about.  Check the numbers of children in Immigration Residential Housing or Immigration Transit Accomodation with big burly guards under Rudd, compared with zero at the end of Howard.  He’s tougher on children.

D'car says:

10:10am | 03/11/09

If you stop them coming by boat, they will come by plane, if you stop them coming by plane, they will come by student visa or even by marriage!!
the focus is on the boat people but there are thousands sneaking in whom we dont hear about because we the media does not report on them. Stop being swayed by the media and politticans and at the facts. Why people on planes are treated differently than people on boats. Why crims with money waltz into Australia while these poor women and children are beings used as “venting bags”

Zeta says:

10:16am | 03/11/09

My favourite number there is the ‘29 per cent of people neither agree nor disagree that Rudd should show more compassion’. Does that mean people are satisfied with the lack of compassion, or do they feel he’s compassionate enough?

If Australia had a decent political comedy culture, we’d have coined the term ‘Toughassionate’ by now. We need a Stewart and Colbert to hold the dirty mirror up right now, so we can all see just how damn evil we look.

Wollongong says:

10:16am | 03/11/09

hoofman, no Australian Embassy in Afghanistan so no que?  Gee, grateful you find me an Afghan who sailed directly to Australia and I willnot only support his application but pay for all his costs myself.  No my friend, and Afghan passed through many countries with Embassies and or High Commissions of many nations to get here.  Infact he or she probably even passed through some countries that are signatories to the UN Convention.  As for Sri Lanka, well we do have a High Commission there.  I love immigrants, think we should up our refugee quota, but the people you talk of are economic refugees with big money to pay a smuggler, hell I couldn’t scrape up $15 000 US to pay them and I have a good job.  Now the situation in Sri Lanka is stabilising, almost no more Sri Lankans will be found to have refugee claims, infact we are already sending them home from Christmas Island.  But hey, I disagree with you, so obviously I am an uneducated racist redneck!

Steve Smith says:

10:16am | 03/11/09

@Con Cerned .. great point, now just get a marketing team to give your idea the name thats not “White Australia Policy” and maybe it will last longer.

SandDollar says:

10:16am | 03/11/09

It would be very insulting to the Sri Lankans if we accepted the claims the Tamils are making. The British were responsible for uniting Sri Lanka and the Tamil did not mind then and learned English and took the positions of privilige in the government. Only the Sinhalese wanted the British to give back their land. This happened and the Tamil did not want to learn their language so lose their job and so a war starts. They would not accept being a minority, they wanted to rule. The diaspora have backed the LTTE to the tune of millions upon millions upon millions. They held Canada to ransom with a multi day protest costing that country a lot of money. They are wealthy enough to support expensive wars so why are they asking us to look after their people?  The money should have gone to the people, not to the bomb builders. They have no right now to be costing us all this money, demanding us look after them when they have a far reaching source of finance. Their war, wealthy people, why is it costing us?

Concern Aussie says:

10:23am | 03/11/09

I do not agree with the above journalist in regard to this statement ‘the level of fear and loathing being generated by 78 asylum seekers has a sizeable majority of the population wanting the government to play tough.’ Australians are smarter than this…they just want the government to have strong border protections so as to deter the present crisis that the country is facing. If the government cave in to these 78 asylum seekers where there is threat of suicide, wanting to choose where they are to go ect…this will sent messages to others that this is the way to go. So much of money is used for these problems…..where does it leaves the Australians.There is a desperate need for money to rectify the housing issues of the first Australlians, improve our hospital system ect.. so I do agree with the suggestion that the Do-gooders and the Unions who are backing the Boat people ....to please donate their wages weekly to look after these people…yes ... Only fair, they want them.
Australians know that there are many people being displaced from many countries due to wars but that does not mean that we should allow people to come in illegally either by sea or by air ...with no regards to or our law.

Gregory says:

10:29am | 03/11/09

Matt and hoofman, it’s people like you who soften our government’s stance and allow these people to die in the ocean trying to get here in a boat. If you support the boat people coming here, then as far as im concerned your condemning a lot of these people to death by drowning. They could just as easily go to a nearby country without coming here for economic benefits. Shame on you, and shame on the illegal immigrants for condeming their families to death.

SandDollar says:

10:30am | 03/11/09

Alternate solution,
It maybe only a few people but the media make a big story about it. So if the government are seen to agree the asylum seekers are genuine they he will ruin diplomatic relations with their source country. In Sri Lanka’s case the Chinese funded the successful ending of the war as they wanted to build a strategic port there. So then it brings them into play. Add that to support from Iran and we have the EU and US joining in a somewhat vague allegation because we are also sinners in the same regard in Iraq but they try to do enough for propoganda to spread and punish Sri Lanka that way. Only a few peple but massive political games are beig played in the background. That is why he is so keen for UNHCR to rpcoess, that way he is seen as neutral politically.

Micko says:

10:38am | 03/11/09

Peter you are spot on.

This is an issue where the leader has the capacity to define the debate.  The problem for Rudd is that by abolishing temporary protection visas, dismantling Howard’s Pacific solution and clearing the court backlog by exercising Ministerial discretion to award permanent citizenship to the long standing cases he swung to the left.  He thought there would be no comebacks for his actions, despite being advised to the contrary by the Federal Police and the Office of National Assessments.  Now…lacking the political courage to carry through on his earlier moves he is forced to jerk to the right.

If Rudd simply stood up (like Fraser with the Vietnamese or Hawke with the Chinese) and said we’ll take them, then he would have had respect. The fact is the Rudd is too miserly to spend any of his political capital on an issue of principle…now he is paying the price for looking weak and inconsistent.

His political capital will be stripped from him and he will have achieved nothing….other than perhaps his own re-election.

phil says:

10:41am | 03/11/09

This issue just confirms the need for an education evolution in this country. If only some of this passion could channelled into the climate change debate now by the conservatives instead of this none issue, it might just save our bacon in a few decades.

Johnny says:

10:45am | 03/11/09

There is a thin line between being KIND and being STUPID. In the mean time australia has already got plenty of problems start from BUSH FIRE, FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND, DROUGHT that suffers our FARMERS, INCREASING DOMESTIC CRIME, HOME GROUND TERRORIST in Melbourne recently , WATER CRISIS and another thousands list of problems. Why would we intake more problem from overseas ? Please take care our domestic problem first before start thinking to help those boat peoples. Save our tax payers money or we will be sunk to the bottom of crisis. This morning i just saw two new homeless in the park i used to run every afternoon. Wake up Pollies…...... Open your eyes….. BE REALISTIC !!!

Steve says:

10:54am | 03/11/09

KRudd and friends are making a mess of things, it is hard to do a good job when you don’t have what it takes to be a REAL leader.

Greg says:

11:04am | 03/11/09

There is only one solution to this. We need to have a referendum to determine whether Australia should remain as a signatory to the UN convention on refugees.
The issue will never be solved while Australians are excluded from the decision making process by arrogant politicians who want to tell the rest of us what to think.

Obvious says:

11:08am | 03/11/09

All refugees should only be accepted if they have a suitable level of education, a suitable level of tolerance for others (in other words a renunciation of anything remotely like jihad) and can speak English.

Dan says:

11:09am | 03/11/09

I reckon this genuinely has the potential to bring down the Rudd Government.  By trying to please everyone, he is pleasing no-one and copping it from all sides.

Canberra says:

11:12am | 03/11/09

Phil,  I agree, and you should be first in line for said ‘education evolution’.  Oh sorry, I misunderstood, you actually meant people who don’t agree with you need education.  How very humble of you.

Mark says:

11:13am | 03/11/09

Media beat up anyone ???
These people arriving on boats don’t usually come from areas with extensive available coverage of Australia’s immigration policy.
The “People Smugglers” do not care if Australia takes a tougher stand as they get paid before the boats leave for Australia ....do they care where the boat people end up ??? I am thinking not
We are a Western Stable Democracy that has a duty to do what we can when we can whether Joe Redneck likes it or not. We have a moral obligation to treat people no matter what the circumstances with dignity and respect, we have a moral obligation to help those who need help.

david smith says:

11:23am | 03/11/09

How can a nieve Kevin Rudd run government honestly guarantee that no asylum seeker is a potential terrorist Kevin Rudd and Australian Labor Party would not have a clue on border protection or national security Bring Our Soldiers Home from Afganstan there about only thing that stands in the way of total take over of Australia’s Borders by terrorist organizations.

Aaron Pearson says:

11:31am | 03/11/09

It’s time for Australia to close it’s borders permanently and forbid no further entry of illegal immigrants and deport all current refugees back to their homeland

mack says:

11:31am | 03/11/09

I agree with Stacey; we should take immigrants and refugees as per the annual quota, however for every one who jumps the queue to arrive illegally by boat it is one less legitimate refugee that we can take.

RobS says:

11:47am | 03/11/09

Of course we all like to be seen as being compassionate towards refugees. The over riding feeling that I have is that I dont like being “used”. I dont believe that all asylum seekers are genuine refugees. Lately much is made of the fact that most asylum seekers arrive by plane. I believe that only a small percentage are granted asylum. 15percent? Is this because they arrive with identification? The majority of boat people are accepted but arrive with no proof of identity. If I was sure the government thouroughly vets these people that are allowed to stay then I would have no qualms. But until I am given some proof I will not be swayed. We cant support our own aged population to the same degree that refugees can access.  Too much PC rules our lives at the moment. Get rid of all visa overstayers and make it a condition of resettlement in Australia - break the laws, dont make an effort to educate and retrain then return to the country of origin. We should be abel to revoke visas and Australian citizenship for those who dont want to participate in our community. Maybe then we would have more resources for genuine and decent refugees. We dont need the emotional baggage that so may bring with them.

Clover says:

11:54am | 03/11/09

Bernie Brown I wouldn’t want to associate with you either, and I’m not even a refugee.
Crikey, if I hear one more person mouthing off about “queue jumpers” I may well flee the country though. Since when did Australians lose their compassion??

sam nashar says:

11:54am | 03/11/09

Im a proud supporter of HON.kenin rudd. NO one should be crtisizing him when a boat people accident happens outside AUSTRALIAN waters for god sake please cut the man some slack hes doing everything in his powers to find a saloution but the soultion will only come when neighboring Countries start CO-opperating

Eric says:

12:10pm | 03/11/09

People who bleat about “compassion”, “racism”, “Only 78”, or “rednecks” are simply revealing their lack of intelligence.

None of the above are an issue. This issue is an invasion by people who are not in danger, but want to force us to pay for their welfare. Anyone who believes in a fair go should reject these criminal spongers.

Steve Smith says:

12:25pm | 03/11/09

@Eric: well said!!! Only one invasion by people who are not in danger every 200 years thank you very much!!! We invaded first, it’s our freaken country now!!!

SandDollar says:

12:43pm | 03/11/09

If people want to be compassionate you can sponsor a refugee. Many Australians have not been treated with compassion and are living day to day with loss of labour laws that have made the country wealthy for some, but not all. The bleeding heart took away our political party and turned into a right wing outfit. Even the unions are only for the elite like miners now.

So the cost should only be borne by those that can afford it. I do not even have hot water as I cannot afford to get it replaced. Only casual work that keeps food on the table. I have computer and an old TV. My rates are behind and they threaten to sell my house. So I need to use the credit card and that only puts me behind more. Many business using illegal labour. Many business using wwoofers instead of hiring locals. I see the illegal migrants in camps where the employment agency takes them around doing farmwork. They get paid $30 after expenses deducted.

So it is good for the wealthy to get rich from this exploitation then demand we be compassionate. They like it because it gives them cheap labour and then they can say they are compassionate.
So only fair if you want to be compassionate then pay for it yourself. Hard not to get upset have not even hot water and the asylum seekers gets air conditioning.

I also hope none that demand compassion are spending on the Melbourne Cup. For many of us it is disturbing to see some Australians being able to afford to waste money while so many of us struggle to go out for a cheap meal twice a year and try to survive with 14% unemployment.

Jane says:

12:49pm | 03/11/09

It’s Rudd’s policies that have re-newed their hope and encouraged them to come again…risking lives and yes, losing lives. Howard’s ‘tough’ stance was actually ‘kinder’ to them…they didn’t risk coming…..and losing lives attempting to. The boats were coming thick and fast…and then stopped….remember that?
Abbott is completely correct.

KRuddco completely own this situation. Their doing.
The fact that they ( Oceanic Viking) waited in Indonesia for 5 years to come now the policy is changed is proof of that.

The word went out as soon as Labor was elected that they would be a ‘soft’er touch after their vocal criticisms and deliberate claims of moral superiority and opposition to the Pacific solution and the Howard govt stance when they were in opposition.
What has happened is no surprise once the Pacific solution was dismantled by them.

They were happy to take populist kudos from some quarters for doing so and appearing ‘humane’....and now must wear and take responsibility for the harsh ramifications of doing so. You can’t be all things to all people Kev…that’s the price of ‘popularity’ by any means.

Pigsear says:

12:49pm | 03/11/09

Can someone actually explain what Kevins “tough but fair”, “Strong but humaine” policy on border protection / asylum seekers is? Does he have one? All he has done is water down the previous governments tough border protection policy. Its obviously not working, but does that even count as his own policy? ie a weaker version of someone elses?

stephen says:

12:58pm | 03/11/09

Great Punch Blog Peter, best I’ve read yet, and only one person’s mentioned the cricket.

PS I don’t wanna see any of you blokes, anywhere, watching the next Test.

hoofman says:

01:01pm | 03/11/09

So Wollongong, if you and your family were in a refugee camp with thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of other refugees in rural Sri Lanka, you’d just sit and hope that some official from the Australian embassy in Colombo might come and see you, might assess your refugee status and might approve your entry to Australia one day? And you’d be hoping this would happen before disease or violence killed any of your family? You would just sit there even if you had the means to make your own way to Australia? If you were in Afghanistan, you’d take your chances across the border in Pakistan, where there is an all out terrorist war going on, and no-one is safe? This idea of a nice, orderly queue for asylum seekers exists mainly in the minds of people who have not looked into the matter at all.  Look, if these people are not genuine refugees, a decision on their cases should be made quickly and they either settle here or go back. I think you’ll find most of them are assessed as refugees.

mike says:

01:15pm | 03/11/09

Haha Kevin07 will have to pretend to be interested in sport first ! At least he’s already had practice in the past at pretending to be one of the boys…..

Hamish A says:

01:29pm | 03/11/09

Can we please stop calling these people ‘refugees’ - they are illegal immigrants.

Angus says:

01:35pm | 03/11/09

Just take Australia out of the UN convention on refugees - problem fixed! No more illegal immigrants please!

Paul says:

01:40pm | 03/11/09

I guess I miss the point here.. Even if the government did water down the policies, political problems in places like Sri Lanka and elsewhere have gotten worse since Labour came to power.. Its not the policies, its the world as a whole that has gotten worse..
In my opinion, ALL asylum seekers should be sent back to where the originated there journey. The 78 Sri Lankans on the Aussie Customs boat all came from Indonesia, they just don’t want to go back, simple as that.. Come out and say it folks.. Why the hell should Australia becoming the dumping ground for all these people. We have enough problems of our own with rising unemployment, housing shortages etc. Lets get our own problems sorted out first, before we consider letting there people in.  Enough is Enough folks, send them back to where they came from, sort out our own problems first then maybe, and only then maybe we let a few in on humanitain reasons.
We have too many goody too shoes in this country, if it was up to them, we would just let them in, hand them cash and a house and let the rest of us suffer..

Jan says:

01:45pm | 03/11/09

You say “the responses to this week’s questions on the current showdown surprised me, the level of fear and loathing being generated by 78 asylum seekers has a sizeable majority of then population wanting the government to play tough.” 

Why should this surprise you.  Most Australians have a “fear and loathing” of being taken for a ride.  This particular group of 78 people sabotaged their own boat (according to initial navy reports), started hunger strikes and threatening suicide when they didn’t get their own way and in general are trying every trick in the book to cheat the system.  The majority are also fit young men (not families) with no documentation and they refuse to answer questions.  Why on earth should we trust them or feel sympathy for them.

pc says:

01:47pm | 03/11/09

Hi Peter, I think that yourself and some of our other punchmates have made a good start at humanising those homeless on the oceanic viking. But as some of the other punchmates seem to make pretty clear, appeals to humanity alone are unlikely to work.

I dont think the governments position is either hypocritical or weak. The government know that processing arrangements are more humane than that of the previous government. (Government policy see Jason Clare on Lateline 23/10/09 and the difference between Howard Policy and Rudd policy see Anthony Albanese on Lateline 26/10/09)

The Ruddbott has every intention of policing our borders. I think the uncertainty for Australians has been provoked by questions over deterrence. Or at least the polls might suggest the public believe the Howard governments pacific solution deterred would be boat people and I’m not sure if evidence based arguments about push factors or appeals to our common humanity are going to make much difference.

The political realists dont see anything changing. Paul Kelly, George Megalogonis, Peter Hartcher, even Michelle Grattan, they all sounded pretty doubtful of any change in the Ruddbotts position. The political realists of the world unite and so forth.

Paul Kelly discussed this ‘diabolical policy problem’ on Insiders, Michelle Grattan “His options are limited and all unsatisfactory..”(30/10/09) Peter Hartcher “Simple arithmetic underlying Kevin Rudds handling of the boat people…” (31/10/09)

Paul Kelly on the 31/10/09, like a good realist should, talked about the power struggle between the government and the ‘asylum seekers’. He describes the asylum seekers as interested in self selecting australia and trying to pressure the government with appeals to humanity and the threat of self harm. They are trying to blackmail the government. This extortion justifies our policy of deterrence. Boat people will be encouraged if they believe reaching our shores will give them permanent residency and who are we to argue with the political realists?

Because the boat people cannot win this struggle they shouldnt fight. Of course the weak try to fight back. They wave their little hand painted signs and say please or help in heavily accented English. What do we expect them to do, sing and dance. Its like we put them on Australian Apprentice and asked “So why do you think we should let you into Australia?”

The problem for their voices, as weapons, as messages, as a way of fighting back, is they have been neutralised already, by political realism, as inauthentic voices. Victims of child abuse are considered authentic voices on that issuse. Soldiers speaking out against war are considered more authentic than draft dodgers. The Sri Lankan government has questioned the authenticity of the ‘asylum seekers’, when they say “Do not help them. They are not legitimate refugees”, they are also saying “You do not need to help them, they arent quite human.”

Sarah Hanson Young a couple of weeks ago on the punch tried to appeal to humanity by asking us a question about ours. “Imagine if it were you?”, “Imagine if you were a boat person?” Those of us that dont laugh or say “bloody do gooder” might say “Well I dont know. It must be terrible. I can only imagine.” And that is of course the point. We can only imagine. We have little authenticity on this because we can only ‘imagine’. Which isnt to say we shouldnt try or that some cant imagine better than others but only that our imagination will always fall short of the brute reality. Tim South.. (I cant remember how to spell his name. How un-pc?) in Saturdays Oz revealed white people could be offended by racism. No $hit. So you saw that episode of THE OFFICE too. The point isnt that white people cant be offended by racism, its that white people are rarely the targets of racism. White people, at least by themselves, are not authentic voices on racism.

Who can talk with authenticity? I think the Unions and Annabel Crabb have made authentic argumetns for a bipartisan policy that addresses border protection, deterrence as well as our obligations to humanity. Jessie Taylor on Lateline 28/10/09 perhaps posed another compromise between these political realities. In order to encourage Indonesias assistance we could offer to take unaccompanied minors already detained in Indonesia.

The australian working class, have always had complicated views about the rest of the world. Anti imperialist, they opposed fascism before their government did, they wanted the rest of the world to enjoy the same standards of living and fought for that right, they wanted an Australia the rest of the world would want to live WITH but not IN. Australians seem to me just as scared of cheap labour and more determined competition.

Paul says:

01:58pm | 03/11/09

Question?

How many other countries are getting hit by excess of Illegal Immigration by boat?

Canada and Australia..

Both these countries are soft targets coz of the compasionate people who live in it.

Its about time we said NO MORE. Send them back to where they came from.

Are they heading to the US, NO..

Why, coz the US send you back to where you came from. TOUGH IMMIGRATION LAWS..

Isn’t it about time we took the same stance.. Forget Christmas Island, which is costing us a damn fortune to run, send them back on a plane or boat to there port of origin.

Boat not available, yeah, thats because the smugglers know that if they skuttle the damn boat, we have to take them. Great Move guys.

There was one comment from someone who said about the quota system. If these people jump the queue, thats one less available spot in the line.

Australia wants a permanent seat on the Security Council in the UN, so they have to start playing the good citizen card. Why is the GG out spending all our money overseas to pursued the voting countries to give us that seat on the council.

Bottom line, its all politics and we are hard working Australians have to foot the bill.. But if we need something, we have to jump through 100 hoops and get kicked in the teeth everytime.

NO MORE !!!

M Cooke says:

02:10pm | 03/11/09

The sooner people wake up to this fraud krudd the better of Australia will be , we should go cap in hand and ask Mr John Winston Howard to please , please , come back . The last two years have been an absolute night mare , with this nasty aggressive blonde headed twit of a man Krudd , who has destroyed our borders, wasted billions GET RID OF THIS IDIOT.

Mr Hyde says:

02:14pm | 03/11/09

Paul 1:58pm - you are competely wrong ,my friend. Greece, Italy and USA are just three countries that get far more boat people than Australia will ever see. Our number of asylum seekers/immigrants without documents is dwarfed by the numbers in Europe and North America. You think the USA does not have a problem with unauthorised border crossings? Think again. There are estimated to be millions of ‘illegal aliens’ as they call them. Thousands come to the USA from Cuba each year by boat and most are able to stay. Of wealthy western countries, Australia has one of the smallest number of boat arrivals.

Hamish A and Angus: - as hoofman said earlier, the boat arrivals are not illegal immigrants. People are entitled to come here without permission to claim asylum. If their claim is not approved they are deported, but never charged, as they would be if doing something illegal.

H says:

02:20pm | 03/11/09

@Paul 1:58, other soft cuddly nations experiencing increased refugee numbers include “Human Rights Leader” (I need a sarcasm font) Turkey - 122% increase.

I don’t think the soft touch argument washes with the facts as reported by UNHCR

pc says:

02:22pm | 03/11/09

Paul, I am going to try to give you an answer, but I have the funny and ever present feeling that you’re not going to like it, so I will also try to keep it as brief as I can.

“How many other countries are getting hit by excess of Illegal Immigration by boat?”

That’s a very narrow question to which you already think you know the answer. Why ask it? The crossing of borders isnt usually by sea, take the States for example, it is over and or under the desert. Latin American migrants to the U.S are now one of the fundamental pillars of its economy. Deterrence is not possible. It is not a real solution.

Nawdy says:

02:38pm | 03/11/09

@ Jane - agree 100%. The ‘softened’ stance KRudd has forced upon Australia has consequences:

8 deaths (2008–09 financial year figures include crew members and the 5 people killed following an explosion on board a boat on 16Apr09);

from 2002 until 2007 - average of 35 boat people per year sailed to our shores, including 0 in 2002 - 2003, and 2004-2005;

from 01Jul08 until 11Jul09 - 1,106 boat people intercepted

cost per day per person to accommodate SIEVS (illegal aliens) - $135

cost per vessel to patrol Australian waters - minimum $5000 per hour

cost of back up for these vessels, patrol aircraft, surveillance systems within Australia - the list goes on - who knows???
You have to understand - the sanctity for human life is virtually worthless in some areas of some countries, and the human plight is exploited by the people who arrange these ‘boat trips’. The people smugglers should be our true targets.

Dunno says:

02:40pm | 03/11/09

I am surprised Kevin even knows what is going on in Australia. He spends most of his time swanning around the World. Maybe when next he goes overseas we should close the boarders so that he cant get back in. We should confiscate the Treaty he intends signing in Copenhagen before he goes.

Alex says:

02:54pm | 03/11/09

All the tired old “I’m not racist, but…” folks come crawling out from beneath their rocks.  Can anyone explain how a handleful of people, even if they are deemed as valid asylum seeker, would change anything in this country.  Why care?

Mr Hyde says:

03:31pm | 03/11/09

Nawdy and others wanting to blame Rudd for deaths of refugees at sea - refugees also die in camps in OS countries they flee to. They risk the boat journey because that looks safer to them.

Katrien Pickles says:

03:34pm | 03/11/09

@ bernie brown. Read the facts here: https://www.getup.org.au/files/campaigns/asylum_myths_factsheet.pdf 

make your own mind up before repeating racist and backwards thoughts at a time when we have a wonderful opportunity to be ahead of our time and plan for the future in a positive frame of mind.
If you’re worried about the issues in our own backyard, then what are you doing about it?

Don’t leave everything up to the politicians!!! Get out there and DO SOMETHING! this is everyone’s future. criticising politicians will only get us so far.

CUPPA says:

03:49pm | 03/11/09

Send these refugees home.Personally i dont care what happens to them.I walk down the street & see old age pensioners struggling to make ends meet, i see sub standard hospitals & roads & i see hardworking Australian citizens who get less benefits then we offer these illegal immigrants.I want my taxes to go towards fixing the problems of Australia, not towards a future minority who will probably show complete disrepect to our culture(like many other immigrant minorities/i have seen this first hand) while milking our soft welfare system.Fix Australia first.

Jane says:

04:15pm | 03/11/09

The ‘facts’ from ‘Getup’...now there’s a contradiction in terms!!! LMAO

pc says:

04:17pm | 03/11/09

CUPPA at 3.40 articulates the dilemma for many australians at the moment. They do not wish to be inhumane but they are frightened that further immigration, particularly of the unskilled, and lets face it desparate, presents an economic threat that at the moment they can ill afford. A regional solution that acually does DETER potential boat people from coming is the possibility of a better life in their own countries. That means more than border protection.

CJ says:

04:24pm | 03/11/09

I can’t believe we are still having the same debate nearly 8 years after Tampa and Howard’s Pacific Solution. Seriously people.

We have to stop lumping all asylum seekers in the same category, and instead be rational and diplomatic about how we handle and process people who may or may not be refugees who come to Australia.

Each case is different and we should treat people as people rather than cattle who should be shipped back “to where they came from”.

What actually offends people about refugees? It seems from these comments that its all about them living off our welfare, rather than the risk they might be terrorists. Shame.

Bring them over here, send Warnie off to do the rounds at our detention centres, and lets see how many off-spinners we get as a result…. win-win.

hoofman says:

04:29pm | 03/11/09

pc - I didn’t see any ‘dilemma’ in CUPPA’s post. It was straight out xenophobia with no consideration at all for the refugees, based on the belief that immigration (apparently of any kind)  will personally cost him/her and the refugees are just here to bludge off our country and form minority groups ‘who will disrespect our culture’. CUPPA and others who think like that might be white Australians of several generations who have little or no contact with Australians who are not white. It’s a worry that people who think like that are capable of influencing government policy.

H says:

04:39pm | 03/11/09

@PC, quite insightful about the pysche of many aussies, but do you think making decisions based on fear is a good decision making model?

Louise says:

05:29pm | 03/11/09

Peter Lewis’ suggestion to shift the debate to cricket epitomises what is wrong with the current Government (and media). If you can’t spin it to sound like a good policy, distract, disguise, deflect or insist on a complete policy from the opposition. How about working through the issue: consider what options there are and the likely consequences of each choice, then make an informed decision and policy that is in the interest of the majority of Australians. That’s what the Howard Govt did with a harsh but effective solution. ALP supporters used it to demonise Howard and now people are dead because that policy was changed. Hardly a moral high ground for this so called humane policy.

GibboP says:

06:05pm | 03/11/09

You know this is actually a ridiculous circumstance K.Rudd has got Australia into. The amount of Poms, Yanks and Europeans with University Degree’s / Qualification / Experiences who want to move to Australia is phenomenal. Why, you ask? Simple, immigration of certain minorities who absolutely refuse to integrate with the asylum granting country. Look at the papers in the UK and Norway, crimes of rapes, assaults and murders are predominantly from the minority now in question.

The Tamil Tigers are not our friends, they make the Taliban look like kindy students.

Nawdy says:

06:07pm | 03/11/09

Mr Hyde @ 03:31pm - you’re right and wrong. Illegal aliens do risk life and limb in the belief they will have a better life (this part you are correct) - a belief that is taken advantage of by people smugglers. How do I know this - because I have been part of boarding parties intercepting and detaining SIEVS.

The part where you are wrong -  people smugglers are the people who should be brought to justice to pay for their crimes, including murder or manslaughter if death occurs from their direct actions. These are the people I blame. To see what SEIV’s sail in, and the conditions they have to endure - it’s wrong. These people don’t have the wherewithal to organise these trips - they have to pay for it. And they’re aware they are trying to ‘jump the queue’.....

KRudd’s softened stance is seen as an opportunity by these bottom feeders, and is a direct consequence in the move away from Howard’s hardliner attitude. Is he indirectly responsible for the deaths of these unfortunate people? You’ll have to make up your own mind.

pc says:

06:10pm | 03/11/09

So Punchmate H, I dont think decision making in a climate of fear is necessarily good decision making, and punchmate Hoofman, there are a lot of australians who are afraid and telling them they are racist, stupid, inhumane isnt going to help.

Punchmate Louise, I think you are onto the problem with deterrence. That is;  prevent people from crossing the sea in leaky boats, and in order to do that we need to establish better regional co operation and better queues, that is if there are, in fact, any queues.

why me? says:

08:27pm | 03/11/09

When uninvited people knock on your home,  the advice from   any relevant authority is. Do not open your door, talk to them through your security screen and the most important ask them for a proper identification.
Refugees come to Australia uninvited asking us to open our doors to pass through, and they are not showing any identification.

Peter Lewis says:

08:49pm | 03/11/09

Having read through all the responses I’ve got to say it’s a little disheartening just how few people seem to have got my argument.
The point is that even though the PM is playing tough, it is not translating into support.
This is interesting - I’m not sure what it means, but my gut is that people want the debate to be shifted, and this starts with regarding the asylum seekers as people..
I have a confession - I commissioned these questions expecting to find the heat out of the debate. I was not expecting this response - probably shows how out of touch lefties like me are.
But if these columns are to work let’s exoplore the issues, rather than boxing from our corners - if you are a right-winger, feel free to have a dip but do it in the spirit of healthy debate - not jeering from the bleachers.
The Punch is a great experiment because it allows for this sort of debate - let’s make it of the quality we all deserve.

Hannes says:

08:51pm | 03/11/09

Our asylum policy should change to differentiate between asylum seekers and economic immigrants.  Firstly, an asylum seeker must proof that his/her life is in real danger if they stay in their country and if they pass this test they should be awarded a temporary visa that should be reviewed annually.  If they breach the conditions of their visa or the circumstances in their country of origin change they should be send back.  Secondly, if an asylum seeker can proof that he/she will benefit the wider Australian community (e.g. having key skills that we need) they should be allowed to apply for a permanent residence visas and other visas like any other applicant that wants to emigrate.  The purpose if the temporary visa should be to allow the asylum seeker with protection and time to re-educate or re-train him/herself.  Assylum seekers that passed the first test but not the second should get access to training facilities if they can meet minimum requirements (e.g. able to communicate in English).  If not, they should be kept in a “re-education facility” until they can meet the requirements.  The cost of the training should be funded with a loan that needs to be repaid with interest once the assylum seeker earn above a minimum threshold.  Australia must make it clear that we will protect real refugees but if they want to become permanent citizens they would need to integrate and contribute to our society.  There are lots of intelligent and hard working asylum seekers out there and we should cater for them.  The children of asylum seekers that are born in Australia should not become Australian citizens until their parents qualify for permanent residence.

Tim says:

10:39pm | 03/11/09

Nothing like a boat load of darkies to stir up Australians, hey, Pete?

‘Fear and loathing’ win over ‘compassion and decent humanity’ about 10 to 1.

At least by my count.

Louise says:

11:53pm | 03/11/09

Peter & David, I think the point is most people are more concerned about the actual immigration policy and its consequences rather than the political ramifications for Rudd. How the politics play out may be your main game (no criticism intended), but for a large percentage of the population the world’s refugee problem is a heart wrenching issue. The real point is, without boats landing on our doorstep it is largely out of sight and out of mind. Rudd’s changed policy has forced us to again confront the uncomfortable truth that millions of people around the world live in misery and we have no idea how to fix the problem. I dare say the vast majority of all those “compassionate and humane” bloggers haven’t been very vocal about support for refugees until the boats returned.

Dan says:

01:33am | 04/11/09

Eric, don’t complain about people using terms like ‘racist’ and ‘redneck’ when you use the word invasion. If the shoe fits…

Ralph says:

01:35am | 04/11/09

I would have thought that if a person is a genuine asylum seeker then the most valuable item they would have in their possession is genuine documentation.. It doesn’t need to be a passport, just paperwork showing who you are and that you come from a war torn/ persecuted area or background..

Pretty simple, if the whole story checks out then great, you can stay, if not the money spent buying the journey may be better spent contacting the myriad of above board immigration ‘specialist’ agencies that exist all over the world… In Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, even online…

If one can find and arrange travel through people smuggling networks, (and pay for it in cash) then one is intelligent and educated enough to seek correct representation also.. Not in all cases I accept but certainly in many cases, the distinction that the electorate is requiring between genuine asylum cases and those of economic betterment is a fair one.

Perhaps some federal funding for these types of agencies (with oversight) in places aforementioned together with some educational campaigns as to one’s chances of success being higher going through correct channels, might place less people in imminent danger and may allow a more reasoned policy of integration…  The problem is not going to go away or get smaller in the future. The current policy (?) is reactionary, not disciplined and when you have that tragic accidents happen..

delperro says:

09:05am | 04/11/09

Yeah Peter I support your call for open mindedness, and take from this discussion that we need to learn something about the cloak that is commenting on people’s blogs.
George Meglogenius wrote something about the people who comment on blogs that was on the money.
good piece tho, and given it is based on research, independent research, I find it more credible than people’s feelings.

Jane says:

10:04am | 04/11/09

Rudd isn’t getting any ‘political capital’ on his self tagged claim of being ‘tough’ as you claim because it isn’t actually ‘tough’ at all….it’s pseudo ‘tough’ NOW for show after the (WEAK) event…and ONLY because the public have reacted the way they have. Ergo…Rudd is faking ‘tough’...because it’s the ‘not being tough in the first place’, the dismantling of the Pacific Solution…the faux appeal as a humanitarian by overturning Howards ‘harsh laws’ and softening on the policies that sees this predicament we are in now.

Ruddco and their failed changed SOFT policies own this situation…their own doing.

That’s why people are not accepting his ‘tough’ now…he’s only interested in what is populist at the time..so pretending to be all ‘tough’ now after public outcry….is simply a face saving/vote saving PRETENCE….and cover up.

Rudd is a faker, a phoney….and is trying to back track on this with a Claytons ‘tough’ ( only because then voting public have been so vocal on it) without admitting they were WRONG and SOFT in the first place…..and that the policy and dismantling of the Coalition solution has FAILED so spectacularly….as he/they were warned.

Jane says:

10:36am | 04/11/09

Rudd’s new found ‘tough’....is a con, a snowjob, a manipulation, a populist choreographed illusion too far for those who have been happy to ‘play along’...till now.

All things to all people.
‘Whatever it takes’ - ALP modis operandum.

Phil says:

03:22pm | 05/11/09

It is Rudd’s loss of control over the migrant influx that spells trouble for him at the polls. Australians resent hypocracy and many on the government’s front bench may wish to forget their loud criticism of the Howard government’s migration policies. Spin will not provide a solution to this problem and Rudd better wake up to that fact soon.

pc says:

03:30pm | 05/11/09

So Phil I cant help but notice that you havent offered a solution, though you know there is a solution implicit in your post - “Rudd’s loss of control over the migrant influx”. So what you arent saying, as youre too scared, is that you want the PM to demonstrate total control over the few migrants to australia. I wonder what the total control you have in mind but dont dare say is?

H says:

06:20pm | 05/11/09

Peter & David. Do not take to heart commentors on your blogs as representative of your readership. You are more likely to draw on the loonies and the time to comment - most people just read, agree or disagree and move on without commenting. Many (not all) commentators will do so because they are going in to bat for their political party. But most of your readers have a life outside politics.

Baby Shamu says:

12:33pm | 20/11/09

So you Do Gooders don’t care if these people could be criminals or terrorists? But Do Gooders are pains themselves shame we cant get rid of them too.