Christmas Island
Before the body count was even finalised politicians used the latest asylum seeker tragedy to regurgitate their entrenched positions on border control.
At least seven people – including children - are dead. More are missing and thought to be dead, trapped in their boat which capsized off the coast of Java.
Seventy people, from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan were on board. Forty or 48 had been rescued, depending on your news source. Authorities believe the boat was heading for Australia. See news.com.au for the latest information. Last night while the numbers were still murky, political imperatives were crystal clear.
Continue reading "Parties were politicking while people were still trapped" »
“Everyone has been accounted for…..we think.”
The chaotic events on Christmas Island last week were the clearest sign of dysfunction in Australia’s immigration detention system in close to a decade.
Had it not been for the recent devastation in Japan, images of rioting, tear gas, fires and general pandemonium on Christmas Island would have led every bulletin and been on the front page of every paper in the land. That they were not has bought the Government some breathing room, unfortunately, their response thus far appears to be largely in keeping with the ham-fisted ineptitude that has characterised their time in office.
Continue reading "Christmas Island is now a symbol of policy failure" »
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johnboy says:
60 odd years ago some well meaning pollies signed a UN agreement that we would accept anyone who set foot on our soil and cried ‘Asylum’. A lot of other countries didnt sign on. Why dont we just tell UN that this is not working for us and we… Read more »
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The Badger says:
I don’t remember the Afghans asking the coalition of the willing to come in and bomb the shit out of their homeland. I don’t remember the Afghans asking the coalition to bring in the biggest shit fight ever and put targets on their back and them in the path of… Read more »
There is a central immigration question which never gets answered: Should Australians be asked to live next to people who have sewn their lips together with wire as a protest?
Or put another way: Should they have to share a community with people who, a few months previously, had fought police and destroyed public facilities?
Whether they should or not is still unanswered. But the fact is, they do.
Continue reading "Gillard’s hands are tied as rioters voice their protest" »
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Libby says:
Ahh Bloggs, thank you very much for proving my point. And its not naivete, its idealism. Read more »
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Bloggs says:
Ah, naievity at it’s best. Australian who support this lot are so naive. Look into the Islamic problems in France, Denmark, UK, etc. That is where we are headed by bringing all these people in here. It’s a very bad situation we are making for ourselves. That’s the root cause… Read more »
Australia’s immigration detention system is at breaking point.
Events on Christmas Island over recent weeks are a clear expression of the frustration and despair felt by asylum seekers, some of whom have spent over two years behind bars in remote, overcrowded centres, waiting for their claims to be processed.
The escalation of turmoil follows months of increasing unrest in detention centres around the country. Incidents of self-harm, including hunger strikes and attempted suicide, have been steadily rising.
Continue reading "Christmas Island proof the whole system is broken" »
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steven says:
Do you people know what to be a refugee?? Read more »
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Emily says:
What do you expect? They come with no ID. Most of them lie about their date of birth. There is no way to verify who they are. So they should be held indefinitely. Only those who tell the truth should be allowed to get in. Fake ID, lie about who… Read more »
While the enormity of the Japanese earthquake disaster has pushed the importance of other news to one side, there has in the last week been growing troubles at our immigration detention centres which at another time would be front page news.
Last night there was another riot at the Christmas Island detention centre, involving 250 asylum seekers who armed themselves with improvised weapons, threw rocks at police and set tents and sheds alight, forcing another 280 detainees to be moved for their own safety.
The Australian Federal Police have taken over security for Christmas Island which now, while already being packed, has now been further damaged according to the Department of Immigration. The death of a 20-year-old Afghan detainee at the Scherger centre in Queensland overnight has also been reported.
Continue reading "Christmas Island slowly drifting out of control" »
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mma betting says:
Awsome article !! What blog platform do you use on your www ? Read more »
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Colleen says:
Christmas Island has been out of control since Gillard shoved Kevon o7 out and she took over. I am appalled that our Queelslanders who have suffered with floods and cylclones are left to fend for themselves,while we reward illigal immigrants who commit arson on christmas island. These illigal immigrants whom… Read more »
In the giddy afterglow of Kevin07, as the nation’s lefties rejoiced at exorcising the devil that was John Howard, it was assumed that the nation would become a more compassionate place. These same people obviously haven’t been paying attention.
There are now more children in detention than there were under Howard. Right now there’s 1045 of them. Just 28 of them are in community detention; that is, not behind bars but being cared for in private homes, in keeping with the softer policy that Howard introduced in 2005.
One of these children, Seena Aqhlaqi Sheikhdost, was trundled back to Christmas Island this week, a few hours after he had buried his parents. Whether you agree or disagree with mandatory detention, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that locking up a nine-year-old on the day he’s attended his parents’ funeral meets the dictionary definition of compassion.
Continue reading "Compassion is a quickly expendable commodity" »
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Seano says:
You are kidding? Are you that desperate to keep children out? How many 20 year olds do you know who could pass for 9? And 12 and 14 year olds are children as well (so why you think they would pretend is beyond me). You would lock up children because… Read more »
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Winkle1A says:
Oh ‘get a grip’ ... I wish you would, I really do. So many assumptions and tired old anti refugee diatribe. You are entitled to think and feel whatever but please don’t continue to proliferate the negative discourse of fear and distortion. “Hideous discrimination” against Australian’s because of refugees??? What… Read more »
The wretchedness of grief on display at the burial of two asylum seekers who perished at Christmas island, and the swift point scoring by Opposition spokesman on immigration Scott Morrison rebuking the government for flying grieving relatives to the event, illustrate the extent to which Australia’s refugee policy is driven by desperation.
On the one hand, there’s the desperation of people fleeing for a better life, with all the tragedy that it entails. Then there’s the frantic effort of local people to save lives as the calamity unfolded on the shores of Christmas Island last year. Few could have been unmoved by the accounts of Christmas Islanders who helplessly watched the disaster evolve and who spoke emotionally of its lasting impact.
Desperation also drives the politics of refugee policy, something made patently obvious again this week. After pausing for a nano-second during the Christmas Island calamity, the toxic political narrative seems set to lunge along its usual course.
Continue reading "Desperation is driving the asylum seeker debate" »
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bobsmeuncle says:
i am a frog. Read more »
Apologising is tough work. Most of us are hard wired to defend our actions, even when deep down inside we know we were wrong.
There are certainly historical precedents that show politicians are reluctant - to the point of childish stubbornness - when it comes to saying sorry.
So here’s to Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison, who this morning apologised for his “insensitive” comments questioning whether we should foot the bill for families to attend the funerals of those who died in the Christmas Island boat tragedy.
Continue reading "When sorry seems to be the hardest word" »
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Perth says:
Theres just too many do-gooders and bleeding hearts (labor) in this country more concerned about helping people from over seas than the people in need at home. What happend was a tragedy of course. But the comments on here claiming we (someone opposed to the 300k cost to tax payers)… Read more »
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Spite says:
Really, “wise owl”? Before you take a pot shot at someone else’s intelligence, you might want to grasp the fundamentals of spelling and grammar. It doesn’t really elevate the political logic in your argument when you can barely communicate your point. Read more »
Tragedy anywhere in the world tends to bring out a generosity of the human spirit in Australians.
But when it involves asylum seekers on our doorstep the feelings among many Australians can be cold-hearted and callous, even to the extent that some of them say anyone who chooses to sail thousands of kilometres in a rickety boat in search of a safe haven should expect to face death.
The loss of at least 30 lives when a boat packed with asylum seekers tried to reach the shores of Christmas Island in stormy seas last week unleashed a wave of blame and finger pointing among most comments to online news sites. Many showed little sympathy for the boatpeople.
Continue reading "Cold-hearted approach to asylum seekers" »
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Gregg says:
You do generalise Clare and we do have people with ancestry links to something over 200 nations. We also have had a very well organised refugee program for many decades and we take refugees from many countries, many people with different physical characteristics including colour as also applies to skilled/family… Read more »
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Gregg says:
@Tripper, You’ve smurfed out in tripping up on lack of knowledge of the refugee system, there being 15M of them in camps run by the UNHCR and other organisations globally. Australia is already among the highest in re-settling refugees and all the lot in Indonesia are doing is bypassing the… Read more »
Just to start: here’s a small taste of current commentary online in Australia: “This disaster was the ‘smoking gun’ of the ALP’s failed ‘border protection policies’ and now the claws are out!” says John.
Then there’s Caz “… let’s ALL imagine that we have come out of a war torn country, (that our soldiers are attempting to fix, by the way) and have made it safely to Indonesia where our lives are not in danger and our children are being fed and receiving medical attention…....OK, you with me so far?”
And Caz continues… “As a mother I wouldn’t care if I stayed in the camps for the rest of my life, there is no way I would risk my children’s lives on one of those boats.”
Continue reading "The myths and reality of seeking asylum" »
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Sophie says:
It’s not lack of opportunity that defines someone as being a refugee it’s meeting one of the five criteria as defined by the UN Refugee Convention - this hasn’t changed since 1951. I didn’t think it relevant in responding to the Christmas Island tragedy to discuss Africa and the countries… Read more »
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Sophie says:
you are right, 1.7million people as known to the UNHCR http://www.unhcr.org/4c6e55cc9.html they, and every other agency on the ground will explain that there are hundreds of thousands more people who are unrecognised, who are living in remote locations - every one of these individuals is considered “illegal” and has no… Read more »
This time last year, almost to the day, I was standing on the jetty at Christmas Island’s Flying Fish Cove.
It was dawn, on a perfectly still morning, and the sea was flat. Moored just inside the harbour was the infamous Australian Customs boat, the Oceanic Viking, waiting to disembark a number of asylum seekers from a vessel they had intercepted.
The images and footage of this week’s tragedy on Christmas Island showed a scene that could not have been more different from that calm morning in December last year.
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Whydev says:
I would have thought the myth that our laws have any bearing upon asylum seekers coming here was well and truly debunked by now. If not: http://www.whydev.org/the-asylum-seeker-issue-pushing-past-the-myths-and-fear/ And yes, I have seen first hand the conditions that refugees live in when waiting in transit. Let me tell you, I’d put… Read more »
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PN says:
Hi Simon, I was born in a detention camp 30 years ago, and today I visit detention camps. I can assure you the treatment that I, my family, and today’s asylum seekers receive by the Australian government is anything but “special”. And to Tombowler below…manslaughter? Do you have a child?… Read more »
The heartbreaking boat crash off Christmas Island is the tragic climax of the confused and contradictory approach to asylum seekers that is now strangling the Labor Party. This confusion was perfectly crystalised in a small item buried in the Federal Budget in May this year.
In an obvious attempt to throw a blanket on the issue, the Rudd Government had just announced a freeze on processing Afghani asylum claims, signalling it expected to shortly reclassify the war-torn Middle-East country as safe to return to.
Yet before any final decision had been made the Government quietly inserted $5.8 million to pay for two immigration officers to go to Kabul to repatriate deported asylum seekers.
Continue reading "How Labor wedged itself into a bad policy on boat people" »
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hot tub political machine says:
Man after my own heart Ian. Small l liberals, what a force they would be if they had the numbers in their own party. Read more »
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Bruno says:
nosthow works as a Liberal party Strategist. Think about it if you where a undecided voter (wich is stupid considering Gillards performance) But if you WERE an undecided voter you whould read posts by nosthow and think hmmmmmm do i really want to be assosiated with that group. I must… Read more »
Julia Gillard is not just between a rock and a hard place in the aftermath of the Christmas Island tragedy - she’s wedged between an angry Left and a rabid Right.
It was hardly unexpected that Andrew Bolt and his gang quickly trotted out the “blood on her hands” mantra after dozens of asylum-seekers met their awful deaths yesterday, but they’ve been joined by a loud chorus of refugee advocates claiming the atrocity could have been prevented with a softer government policy.
The only people not attacking the Prime Minister today are the Opposition, who’ve remained for the past 24 hours particularly civil towards Gillard and her Immigration Minister Chris Bowen. And Gillard’s announcement this afternoon of a standing group including the Opposition and representatives from the Greens to examine the fact of the boat’s sinking could well prolong that cease-fire beyond the usual limits.
Continue reading "The day both extremes almost met in the middle" »
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Heather says:
Why is The Punch, a respected site, publishing the racist hate-filled psycho posts from this deranged sociopath Marilyn. She is a very sick woman who desperately and urgently needs psychiatric help. And if its truth that she is still claiming DSP when calling herself a ‘part-time paralegal researcher’ then I… Read more »
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Christian Real says:
Wayne Fehlhaber says : ” You can bet your last dollar that the majority of illegal enterants take the risks after being told of our weak border protection and welfare payouts.” Wayne, have you got absolute and concrete proof that this is the case?, or are you just guessing? Also… Read more »
Dr Waleed Alkhazrajy fled his native Iraq 15 years ago. Saddam Hussein’s regime had ordered him to cut off the ears of army deserters or brand their foreheads with a cross. He chose not to, which meant he had to leave or face torture or death.
So he left. In Jordan he made contact with people smugglers – his family raised the $15,000 the smugglers demanded to take him to Australia via Malaysia and Indonesia.
Now an anaesthetist in Adelaide, he told The Punch what life was like on that boat.
Continue reading "An asylum seeker’s story: journey to Australia" »
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Bousysere says:
<a > </a> Read more »
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Former Migrant who came by Plane says:
What I’d like to know is…once this people smuggling is legalised…can I now pay for boats to pick up the rest of my extended family in other countries? This way I can save on plane fares and migration application fees. Once my relatives get off the boat, they will wait… Read more »
Today’s horror below the cliffs of Christmas Island will produce a heated political debate over asylum seeker policy. It has been deferred for now, but it is inevitable.
The only uncontested point will be the fact that those on the wrecked boat believed that reaching land would give them a good chance of getting permanent refuge.
But it is not automatically correct to then argue that the Federal Government was responsible for the deaths because it didn’t eliminate the prospect of asylum.
Continue reading "Who’ll blink first and score points off Christmas Island" »
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Black ops says:
As do you Pwnstar. Read more »
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Christian Real says:
Bondi Boy I find it amazing that Liberal imbeciles like you are so bloody brainwashed that you all wallow in the lies and deceit of that the Liberal party drip feeds all their faithfull and loyal followers with. There is nothing illegal about the refugees finding any ways or means… Read more »
With detention facilities on Christmas Island getting closer and closer to capacity, and a Federal election looming, the issue of desperate people seeking asylum on Australian shores remains a hotbed of cheap political point-scoring at the expense of some of the world’s neediest people.
Disappointingly, the term “queue jumper” is now so deeply entrenched in our nation’s vernacular that some Australian politicians use it interchangeably with the term “asylum seeker”.
Let me be clear and point out that two are not synonymous. In fact, the queue is a myth.
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Your name:Noemie says:
I can’t understand while in having been in contact with these individuals and families you can be so influenced by rumors. You talk about the “benefit of the doubt” rule for all asylum seekers coming. i do not think any body who has nothing to fear for his safety in… Read more »
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John says:
Robert King@ Mate, I’m not sure if you could have seen me, wearing those thick rose coloured glasses. But I think I would have noticed you in your Pollyanna outfit. Read more »
Last week I returned from a visit to Christmas Island to Parliament where the Labor Member MP, John Sullivan, from Longman in Brisbane, interjected during a speech and called me a racist.
At the time, I was speaking to an Appropriations Bill that was seeking additional funds to make up for shortfalls in this year’s budget. Included in these shortfalls was $132 million for off shore processing of asylum seekers. We were supporting the Bill.
I noted that the 100 per cent plus blow out in costs demonstrated the Government had failed to appreciate the impact of their policy changes on the detention population on Christmas Island, that is now at unsustainable levels.
Continue reading "You can’t debate immigration without being called a racist" »
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ozharp66 says:
People interested in this debate should read the Refugee Council of Australia’s paper on Myths about asylum seekers and get the FACTS. Check their website. Otherwise the nonsense such as Scott Morrison utters and manyo thers in this thread will just go on forever. Don’t voice an opinion or vote… Read more »
In one of the stranger afternoon Christmas announcements by the Government (see above) late yesterday the office of Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor announced that cruise ships would now be able to visit Christmas Island.
That’s right, the destination for hundreds of asylum seekers can now be accessed in luxury aboard the Pacific Sun Cruise Ship.
Upon receiving this yesterday The Punch had to make sure that it wasn’t a joke. Check out some of these lines in the release:
Continue reading "Visit Christmas Island this Christmas says P&O" »
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Formersnag says:
The blind lead the blind & the sheeple blog on. Next election try putting the greens last, labour second last, the liberal/ national candidate third last, every true minor party &/or independent candidate ahead of them, then the conservatives, will eventually, get your preference vote, but without, getting the idea… Read more »
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Dan says:
Eric, refugees make effort to come to Australia and to escape persecution. But, yes, you’re absolutely right, they came because Christmas Island offers such a good quality of life. Read more »
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