http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/immigration/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-big-fat-aussie-myths-about-australia/ As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-big-fat-aussie-myths-about-australia/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-big-fat-aussie-myths-about-australia/#item7605 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/whos-side-are-you-on-an-upside-down-start-to-2012/ It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/whos-side-are-you-on-an-upside-down-start-to-2012/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/whos-side-are-you-on-an-upside-down-start-to-2012/#item7533 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/using-deodorant-and-other-great-aussie-traditions/ A Coalition suggestion that migrants need deodorant classes is an outrageous, racist furphy. It’s an absolute myth that Poms are soapdodgers. Opposition citizenship spokeswoman Teresa Gambaro has suggested new immigrants should be taught about wearing deodorant and waiting patiently in queues. She wants employers to give mandatory “cultural awareness training” to immigrants arriving under visas such as the 457s. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/using-deodorant-and-other-great-aussie-traditions/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/using-deodorant-and-other-great-aussie-traditions/#item7501 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-on-open-thread-10-01-2012/ This is a little bizarre. A 2.1-metre New Zealand man is being deported from Australia after the Government deemed his height an “unacceptable threat to the national interest”. The man’s visa was terminated after an armed robbery in 2010, but the Administrative Appeals Board overturned his deportation and described him as a “gentle” giant with a love of opera. However, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen intervened and ensured he would be deported after being deemed a threat to the national interest. As someone who is 6 foot 4 I find the idea of being able to deport someone based partially on their height and girth a little concerning. What do you reckon? And hey, how tall or fun-sized are YOU? It’s Tuesday. What’s playing on your mind today, Punchers? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-on-open-thread-10-01-2012/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-on-open-thread-10-01-2012/#item7500 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sweet-home-Alabama-is-only-sweet-for-some/ Sailor’s Lounge caters to the hard-bittenest drinkers in the deep south coastal town of Mobile, Alabama. There’s a woman, maybe 80, who wears her dress unbuttoned to reveal her entire cleavage. Her steady eye contact is unnerving. Another woman, sitting at the bar, tells the story of how her pretty mother, who worked as a Bunny waitress in a Mississippi club, was found dead under a building from a suspected hot shot. That was decades ago. And there’s the woman called Mama, who owns the bar. She’s about 70. She came to Mobile five decades ago from Turkey. She worked on a cruise ship where she was also required to double as the ship’s resident belly dancer. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sweet-home-Alabama-is-only-sweet-for-some/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sweet-home-Alabama-is-only-sweet-for-some/#item7439 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-year-after-christmas-island-another-awful-tragedy-at-sea/ It’s almost exactly a year since the Christmas Island tragedy, when dozens of asylum seekers died on Australia’s doorstep. In an event which everyone predicted - but which no one managed to prevent - more boats came and sank. Now, there has been a tragedy on an even larger scale, with hundreds of asylum seekers feared dead after yet another overloaded, unsafe boat sank, killing people who were desperate for a better life. Christmas Island, and the spectre of another mass drowning, should have been the crisis that broke the political impasse. But it didn’t. There is an eerie sense of rigid paralysis in our politics when it comes to this issue. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-year-after-christmas-island-another-awful-tragedy-at-sea/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-year-after-christmas-island-another-awful-tragedy-at-sea/#item7407 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australias-way-of-life-does-not-need-protecting/ Driving home last night the ute in front of me – Green P plater – had the following bumper sticker emblazoned across the back panel: If you don’t speak English, don’t dribble shit to me. Delightful, eh?  As he veered right and I drove on, I looked through the window and gave him a look that said ‘you’re a dickhead’ (but not so much so that he might come beat me up).  My look however, was met with something of a surprise: the guy – a young, beefy tradesman-type was Asian.  Which frankly, left me a little confused.  Leaving aside the apparent inconsistency of lauding ‘proper’ language on the one hand and berating the dribbling of shit on the other, wasn’t the bumper sticker anti-immigration?  Haven’t Asian migrants to Australia historically borne the brunt of anti-immigration sentiment (only to be replaced relatively recently by refugees and boat people)?  So how could an Asian person be anti-immigration? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australias-way-of-life-does-not-need-protecting/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australias-way-of-life-does-not-need-protecting/#item7178 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stop-the-planes/ There’s nothing like a leaky boat full of traumatised asylum seekers to spark fear and loathing in Australia. Why is that? Today’s news reveals that there are 13 times as many visa overstayers in Australia as there are asylum seekers in detention, but people arriving by planes – who are mostly Chinese, American, British or Malaysian - just don’t trigger the same gut reaction. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stop-the-planes/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stop-the-planes/#item7195 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/hot-topics/immigration/ feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) http://www.thepunch.com.au/hot-topics/immigration/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/hot-topics/immigration/#item6889 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbott-joins-gillard-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place/ The Government has an asylum seeker policy it can’t implement and by later today it might not even have that. It has reached a legal and political impasse in its management of boat people, and the Opposition appears set to make that into a crisis by upending what until recently had been bipartisan policy. For the first time in 10 years Australia might be taking on shore all the people who arrive in our waters looking for refuge. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbott-joins-gillard-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbott-joins-gillard-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place/#item6745 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 It’s the third week of January and we’re facing a long year in politics. With no federal election due until 2013 we could be in for a 12-month bout of deja vu, as ALP leadership speculation rumbles on, people keep giving Tony Abbott lots of free advice (because 54/46 two-party preferred is not impressive enough polling), and boatloads of asylum seekers keep setting off from Java. So nothing’s changed. Well, that would be too easy. Actually, as 2012 dawns the political landscape has become a bit skewwhiff. Robert Manne started it all just before Christmas, when he wrote a piece in The Monthly admitting what a lot of lefties had already started to think, but hadn’t yet been game to say - that while they hated John Howard’s Pacific Solution, it did, indeed, stop the boats. And with no boats there were no drownings, and upon reflection, that was a pretty good result.