Reply to last weeks xenophobic letter.

There are no shortage of letters in the local papers, pointing the finger at asylum seekers, using terms such as "illegals" and "queue jumpers". It is worth remembering not only is it perfectly legal to seek asylum, and that we are a signatory to the UN refugee charter, but that more than 60% of those that arrive by boat are women and children, and that the 3441 arrivals in 2009 made up just 1% of migrants to Australia.


Of 43.3 million displaced by persecution and conflict, 15.2 million were classified as refugees ( UNHCR 2009 ). Less than 0.5% of applications for asylum were lodged in Austrlaia.

But our political leaders do not reflect this in their rhetoric, on the contrary, we are continually told there is a flood or an invasion, that there is a security threat and that those seeking asylum are causing some of the social problems that now affect our society.

A deliberate and insidious campaign to secure electoral votes at the expense of inciting fear and xenophobia. Howard's unsavoury policies so despised earlier this decade have become bipartisan.

We are not as Ms Gillard keeps asserting "going forward". No, we are morally sliding, and fast.

( reply to letter in western Suburbs weekly 11 july 2010 )

Dear Editor

Mr Prestage's litany of errors and prejudices regarding asylum seekers is chilling.

The fallacies that there are "queues" which refugees might join, or that "utopia" awaits in the form of detention centres and uncertainty in arriving at all, or the idea that there is an avalanche, are all quite testable statements, and are easily dispelled.

I also find particularly troubling, Mr Prestage's assertion that Australian and other allied forces died fighting for our "standard of living". They fought for our freedom, from radical regimes in Europe and Asia.

Our standard of living has been achieved to date by immigration and the fortune of our natural resources.

We have a moral, and legal, duty to treat those in need humanely. And Mr Senghera is quite right, both major parties are shrinking from this responsibility.
( Not published )