Irresponsible nonsense
I am appalled at the irresponsible utterances of Peter Dutton as a senior Minister accountable for Australia’s response to the humanitarian crisis of people seeking refuge in this country.
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However complicated the world-wide issues are in relation to refugees, for a Minister to resort to this sort of fear-mongering is not only irresponsible, it is lazy.
We are talking about a modest increase in the numbers of people (including children) who are seeking our protection from the horrors of the war in Syria.
Does he seriously expect us to believe that a few tens of thousand people, settled throughout the country, are going to “take Australian jobs”?
Why is he ignoring the research that shows humanitarian refugees are more likely to start new enterprises or small businesses?
Why denigrate a group of people, among whom will almost certainly be qualified doctors, nurses, lawyers and engineers, if past history is any guide?
As for those he labels as “illiterate”, who was it in the past who built the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme, and who have added immeasurably to regional communities, taking on jobs that have proved almost impossible to fill?
As for the cost to government, where is the acknowledgement that much of the support for these newly arrives will come from unpaid volunteers – from the churches, from neighbours and ordinary community members?
The nonsense Mr Dutton is sprouting sounds as though the country will be over-run, or made bankrupt if we accept our international obligations to address the world-wide problems facing millions of refugees fleeing war.
Would politicians on all sides stop fear-mongering, stop conflating all the problems of the world onto the heads of refugees, and start debating the issues with the seriousness they deserve.
Heather O’Connor OAM, Wallaga Lake
Shameless pork-barrelling
Well, they're shamelessly at it again. The piggy bank has been smashed and the Liberals are frantically pork-barrelling and heavy-hitting Eden-Monaro in a desperate attempt to save the rarely seen or heard Mr Hendy's political skin.
What appalling cynicism and contempt for the voters. Especially when we are aware that most of it is "old" previously allocated money, and much is contingent on favourable input from others!
I know that probably many will say "they all do it", and that we should just shrug and go along with it. That we should just venally accept the sudden largesse on offer.
If we believe that this overall lack of honesty and integrity is wrong, and that we should not allow ourselves to be mindlessly seduced, then we know that there is no chance of change unless we stand up and say so at the ballot box!
And, let's face it, our electorate has got practically nothing during the time Hendy has been our MP.
So can we be sure that all this money is not just a political election ploy, and that afterward it will disappear?
Can we trust them?
Their track record obviously says "No". Will we again hear the old "budget restraints" cop-out?
Perhaps Mr Hendy was so busy being a key plotter in Turnbull's rise to become Prime Minister, that looking after our electorate ran a distant second to his personal ambition. However, this will ensure the Liberals will throw everything they can at Eden-Monaro, as a "quid pro quo" for Hendy and to retain the seat.
Be that as it may, the "pollies" should tread warily. It may well be counter-productive, as it has been proven many times that the voters of Eden-Monaro respond badly to being hoodwinked and taken for granted.
Beware, we are not fools!