Monday 25th of November 2024
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highly offensive indeed .....

highly offensive indeed .....

A forecast by the immigration department head, Andrew Metcalfe, that London and Paris-style social unrest would break out in Australian cities if 600 boat people arrived a month has caused outrage, and calls for his sacking.

The words have threatened Labor's multicultural credentials, with groups including the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils labelling them ''inflammatory'' and ''devastating''.

Last year there were an average of 532 asylum seekers arriving by boat each month, with 683 arriving in November. The Centre for Policy Development's John Menadue, a former immigration head in the Fraser government, said Australia had reached a state of ''almost collective paranoia and madness about boat people''.

''To say that 600 boat arrivals a month would create social chaos is nonsense and scare-mongering at its worst,'' Mr Menadue said.

Refugee Council of Australia chief executive Paul Power said: ''There is not a shred of evidence that asylum seekers have been involved in riots or promoted social unrest.'' He demanded Mr Metcalfe retract the statement.

David Manne, the lawyer who led the High Court case against the Malaysia swap, said: ''Those types of comments are likely to lead to demonisation of vulnerable people and incite hostility.''

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also weighed in, with a Canberra spokesman saying: ''It is important that all states keep a sense of balance, proportion and informed perspective where compassion and human rights are at the forefront of public debate.''

Refugee agent Marion Le called Mr Metcalfe's comments ''ridiculous''. ''How people came - by boats - is not the measure of how well they settle in the community,'' she said.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the fact Mr Metcalfe had briefed reporters hours before the Coalition, showed he had been politically compromised.

Greens Leader Bob Brown labelled Mr Metcalfe and his officials ''turkeys'' and said ''they should be out on their ears''.

The Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, defended Mr Metcalfe. ''This simplistic characterisation today of the Secretary of Immigration Department's comments at a special briefing yesterday is incorrect and out of context,'' Mr Bowen said.

''The allegation of xenophobia against respected senior department officials - with a long-standing and proud commitment to non-discriminatory immigration - is highly offensive.''

Prediction of refugee riots sparks call for sacking

''To say that 600 boat

''To say that 600 boat arrivals a month would create social chaos is nonsense and scare-mongering at its worst,'' Mr Menadue said. -> sure, saying true is alwats scandalous, oh, what else can they come up with this time...

in spite of themselves .....

The Federal Government concedes it will be forced to undertake onshore processing of asylum-seekers after the Opposition yesterday rejected Julia Gillard's proposed changes to migration laws aimed at reviving plans to swap refugees with Malaysia.

The Prime Minister had her draft amendments to the Migration Act redrawn over the weekend in a bid to satisfy Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's concerns over the original draft he saw on Friday.

The Coalition had insisted that protections for asylum-seekers had been stripped away in the original draft legislation.

Ms Gillard presented the new draft to Mr Abbott yesterday and said it made it clear that the immigration minister of the day would need to have regard to the national interest in deciding third-country processing.

The new amendments would require the Government to consider whether a country selected for offshore processing would honour the ''principal obligations'' of the UN Refugee Convention - namely non-refoulement [which protects refugees from being returned to a place where they may at risk] and the processing of asylum claims.

Last month the High Court invalidated the Government's plan to swap 800 asylum-seekers here with 4000 refugees confirmed by Malaysia.

Ms Gillard said the Government had advice from Solicitor-General Stephen Gageler that the new amendments would survive a test in the courts. ''Our advice is that these amendments are legally sound,'' she said yesterday.

But Mr Abbott quickly rejected the new version, saying it paid lip service to human rights while exposing the Government to greater risk of a legal challenge.

Mr Abbott said the Coalition would put forward its own amendments, which would only allow offshore processing in countries signed up to the UN convention - ruling out Malaysia but not Nauru.

''It will restore offshore processing, while retaining offshore protections,'' Mr Abbott said.

''It's in my judgment a much superior proposal to that which the Government has put forward. Our proposal is a win-win: certainty plus protections.''

The major parties' apparently immovable positions mean both sets of amendments are likely to be defeated in the Senate, where the Australian Greens hold the balance of power.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen conceded last night that the Government would have to process all arrivals onshore if the legislation failed, because it would not send people to Nauru. Processing on Nauru would be expensive and would not be a disincentive to boat arrivals. ''Very clearly if this legislation doesn't pass then offshore processing will be regarded as being unlawful,'' he said. ''The obvious result of that is onshore processing.''

Govt's Onshore Solution