Labor's migrant bash
The Labor Party seems determined to maintain only the worst of its traditional policies and attitudes. While it has ditched most of its traditional commitment to social justice, strong trade unionism and democratic rights, it still clings to its old racist attitude towards foreigners wanting to live here. Through the first half of this century, Labor was probably the strongest parliamentary advocate of the notorious White Australia Policy, and today's "left-wing" immigration minister, Gerry Hand, appears to stand in this dishonourable tradition.
Hand is apparently not content with his infamous persecution of Cambodian and Chinese boat people, who have not only been denied the right to refuge after long and perilous sea journeys, but have been cast into prisons and concentration camps and dragged through the courts. Now he is going after so-called illegal immigrants and people who overstay their visas.
In moves that will make Australian society less free and democratic for all of us, the Labor government is planning to increase surveillance of people seeking work and those on welfare benefits. All this is on the pretext that the number of foreigners overstaying their visas is increasing.
These moves come at a time when all of the economically developed countries are becoming increasingly multicultural, and all are being called on to open their doors to immigrants and economic refugees from parts of the world that are gripped by economic and political disorder. Experience around the world, from the southern border of the USA to the eastern borders of the European Community, shows that attempts to close borders are inevitably futile, and mainly lead to increasing repression.
The refugee problem facing Australia is relatively small due to our isolation and absence of land borders. Labor would be much better occupied getting on with creating jobs, rather than persecuting foreigners in what appears to be a cheap electioneering stunt designed to appeal to the most backward, racist sentiments, and bound to recoil against all who value democratic freedoms, not to mention those Australians who might want to work overseas or stay for extended periods in other countries.