The early release from jail of militant Indonesian Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir always sat oddly with Howard’s proposed amendments to The Migration Act. If the reason for changing the law was Indonesian affront at DIMIA’s decision to give refugee status to 41 out of 42 West Papuan refugees, what would Indonesia give to assuage Australian outrage at the lenient treatment of Bashir?
Of course Howard couldn’t play the “tit-for-tat” card easily, because he maintained that the changes in the law had nothing to do with Indonesia. But the actions of the Liberal dissidents in delaying the amendments, combined with a face-to-face meeting with Indonesian Prime Minister Yudhoyono, give Howard an opportunity to step back from the legislation, and ensure that Indonesia continues to uphold its end of the terrorism/boatpeople deal.
Will he take this opportunity? Will the Liberal moderates (and the rule of law) have a quiet win?
That’s one potential reading of this matter of fact article on the News site.
June 27, 2006 | Graham
Is Howard retreating on Migration Act?
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To those ignorant few who are fussing about offshoe processing. Look at the UK,EU and theUS,the illegal torrent is absolutely out of control.
These days people are on the move from poor countries to well off countries ie they are economics.They create huge social problems in the new counries in the West. Look at the 4000 burnt cars in France and Madrid.
Even in tolerant countries people are having second thought by adopting a harsher restriction. France and Holland are doing it.
What is the big deal with offshore processing? A fuss about nothing
Comment by Nick — June 27, 2006 @ 1:53 pm
The problem Nick is that when people arrive in Australia we are obliged by law to assess their claims for protection as refugees and not send them to a place that has not signed the refugee convention.
That includes Indonesia and Nauru. Beside that last time it allowed DIMA to send people home illegally, to traumatise them, get them files and claims mixed up, deny them legal rights and reviews and what happens in the UK and Europe is irrelevant as most of the trouble in those places is caused by disenfranchised citizens and not refugees.
Last time this nightmare stupidity left hundreds of people rotting for years on Nauru and in Indonesia where they have no legal rights or protections and we are paying for it all.
Then we have the cost of close to $2 billion with no visible result as most of the people came here anyway
Not to mention of course that the entire rest of the world is offshore.
Comment by Marilyn — June 27, 2006 @ 5:36 pm
I was reading some comments on different posts regarding these topics and one thing stuck out.
Most of the names are not Australian and boy do they bag us.
They live here mind you and many off our welfare system.
This is how they say thankyou , their style.
When are these people going to wake up and realise we are being taken over now.
This rubbish about> We are one> We are many.
I am, you are, we are Australia .
In partiuclar muslims are not Australians but there are others who wont intermix as well.
They are one and they are many.
They want to take control of this country.
And another thing if they truely are mixing and becoming Ausies then take on a Ausie name Like Hicks Changed his.
I for one am sick of trying to read the names of these people that sound like I am living in some far off land.
Enough is Enough.
Comment by wendy lewthwaite — July 3, 2006 @ 4:37 am
So Wendy, you’d presumably have a problem with this girl http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=206167 representing Australia in the Miss World competition.
Comment by Graham Young — July 3, 2006 @ 9:26 am
Just out of curiosity Wendy, my mother’s family were Pfeiffers from Silesia near Germany. Should they have changed their name to Pepper or Gulpillil when they invaded Australia and displaced the aborigines in 1844?
The experiment with anglicising names rightly ended at the infamous Ellis Island at New York when the US made Jews change their names.
Who cares what a persons name is, it is none of our business and with 200 nationalities here would you have them all become Smith’s and Jones for heaven’s sake.
By the way Wendy, what nationality is Lewthwaite?
Comment by Marilyn Shepherd — July 4, 2006 @ 2:13 pm
One remark the lying rodent made earlier was that these laws had absolutely NOTHING to do with Indonesia, while Vanstone was unequivocally contradicting him.
Comment by Xeno — July 4, 2006 @ 8:05 pm
PS The lying rodent‘s deception has gone on long enough. When will people realise a man like this should not be running the country?
Comment by Xeno — July 4, 2006 @ 8:10 pm
Xeno – PLEASE modify your language!!
Fancy denigrating any rodent by such a clasification, rodents do not lie – nor deceive.
And after all politicians have finally found favour in experimental labs – after all there are some things that rats will not do.
Shame on you!
Comment by kekenidika — July 5, 2006 @ 3:23 pm