Could the Australian Government’s Nauru decision be the greatest backflip in history ?
December 22nd, 2011 by Warwick HughesAfter months, years of mentioning Nauru as if it were on a par with a WWII death camp or the Soviet gulag.
Bowen puts Nauru on table to break asylum deadlock
Julia Gillard bends on offshore processing of asylum seekers at Nauru
As if Kim Jong Un announced he wanted to have joint elections with South Korea.
Oh to be a fly on the wall in the Nauru Presidents office when the call comes in.
Graphic sourced from Dept of Immigration
Info on boat arrivals at this APH site
Posted in News and Views | 9 Comments »
December 22nd, 2011 at 9:50 pm
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December 23rd, 2011 at 6:46 am
Glad to see Abbott is sticking to his guns in the face of Labor hoping he will sign on to the Malaysian dead shambles of a “deal”.
This Govt must be the most disreputable in our history. My hubbie says even 1975 was not this bad – that then Labor just made a cascading series of normal Labor stuffups – nothing remotely as wacko as we have seen – for example the Gillard attempt to bully Timor Este into hosting an Islamic queue jumper camp for us – mad – yet she stubbornly persevered for months. Then the Malaysian deal where – correct me if I am wrong – we can send them 1 illegal in return for 5 of theirs ? Brilliant. I suppose the PM will emerge from her hols later in January to claim credit for her policy triumphs – aided and abetted by the MSM.
December 23rd, 2011 at 9:33 am
The other thing which seems to have been forgotten about the Malaysian deal was that for the swap – Malaysia accepting 800 “boat people” from Australia, Australia taking 4,000 “genuine refugees” from Malaysia and resettling them into the community’
Australia was to take the following further obligations:
The Australian government was to pay for the basic living expenses and maintain responsibility for the 800 for as long as they are in Malaysia. Malaysia agreed to allow these arrivals to work, a right not extended to other asylum seekers in Malaysia. The plan is to resettle these asylum seekers in a third country
and
Australia was to cover all costs of the planned four-year deal, with the total price tag estimated at $296 million (in May 2011) — a cost of $54,000 to $95,000 per person.
That’s a lot of money just to maintain hubris
This was as Tony Abbott said ‘a bad deal’
December 23rd, 2011 at 2:50 pm
I believe that Temporary Protection Visas are just as important in stopping the boats. It seems most of these ‘refugees’ are really economic refugees, and are only coming by boat due to Labor’s relaxation of the laws. The TPV’s would mean there is always the possibility of being returned to the country of origin. Genuine refugees such as the Burmese in Malaysia would be more likely accepted as immigrants under our normal intake.
Tony Abbott is right…
December 23rd, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Thanks for another informative year Warwick. All the best to you and your family for Christmas and New Year.
December 23rd, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Warwick, what Tom said
Thanks for being there
February 26th, 2012 at 9:56 am
Govt graphic updated thru Jan 12 now –
I am looking for a time series of monthly or weekly or whatever numbers of illegal passengers/boat arrivals. Does anybody know of a source.
April 25th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Nice job BUT shame this graph is designed to be fundamentally misleading and is flat out wrong! No doubt the moderator will bury this, its primarily aimed at the web-master who really needs to correct the graph if you have any interest other than to deceive.
Note from Editor: You should have noticed Ben – the graph came from the Govt. If you have more accurate data – I look forward to you producing it. Nobody here is trying to deceive – we have battled for decades to get data out of various rabbit holes run by the Govt.
The graph shows Australia’s “boat arrivals” in Jan 1990 as O; when 1989-90 was the single biggest year for arrivals in Australia (16500) as Tiananamen sent Chinese dissidents our way. Your method is convenient cos it means you can make the graduations on X axis correspond with the number of arrivals in 2012 rather than having this years 6000 arrivals in context of the large numbers of the early 1990′s. Add your penchant for compressing the Y axis to maximise the angle of the “surge” and BINGO you have a typically politicised graph that preaches to the choir and does nothing to provide balanced debate.
At least tweak your years so you are reflecting reality in your graphics.
Editor note again; There is another graphic using Govt data showing annual totals – no sign of your Tiananamen peak.
“Is there any way out for Labor ? – Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirmed” – March 2nd, 2012
May 21st, 2012 at 6:35 am
See on ABC online – Navy picks up boat with 175 on board – A border protection patrol has intercepted what appears to be the biggest boat of asylum seekers in more than two years.
I am wondering when illegal immigrants will get more organised and pick up an old freighter or three. Pack ‘em with several hundred passengers. Economy of scale.
Is there any way out for Labor ? – Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirmed
Enjoyed the Bolt Report yesterday - interview with Mike Smith raising the 1990′s allegations of corruption with an AWU staffer who was in a relationship with JG.
You can get the quick background here before seeing the Bolt 5min interview.