http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntSBKPkk4m4
One of my new favourites. Great lyrics!
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Julia Gillard's solution to people smuggling.
Ok, so it seems to be the most pressing issue at the moment with valid arguments both for and against that I just had to write about it...
Australia’s so called ‘agreement’ to send the next 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in return for resettling 4000 refugees from Malaysia over the next four years, will occur regardless of whether or not Australia sends those asylum seekers or accepts them within Australia. This coming as a result of the mistreatment of 90,000 refugees in Malaysia according to a recent assessment by the UN stating that refugees in Malaysia were vulnerable to prosecution, deportation, whipping and detention – so why would we be simultaneously sending refugees to the same country that openly engage in the further mistreatment of asylum seekers? How can Australia promote such mistreatment being a country of migrants itself? Isn't that just as 'un-Australian'?
At a time when war is escelating globally, and considering the proportion of the developing world and developed countries that now face poverty, should Australia be protecting its own borders as opposed to increasing business for people smugglers?
Another interesting argument put forward was surrounding the legitimacy of the refugees themselves. are they genuine refugees or are they rich and elite people in the war torn countries or in the refugee camps, exploiting the sympathy of the world to the refugees to advance their immigration plan by flying to Indonesia for a boat trip to Australia? only the poor are the ones who suffer in a war and have no means to escape it. The rich, the elite and the educated are the ones who are able to use their advantage to get out of the countries, legally or illegally. This leads to the question about the "compassion" that the refugee advocates always pride themselves about. Ha, we have the ideologically driven activists who are using their resources, energy, intelligence to advocate the elite and rich at the expense of the poor and under-privileged and are boasting about their "compassion". To the lawyers who are the activists, any boat people that you have helped, if it turns out that they are immigration opportunists in reality but somehow succeed in deceiving the system with your help, means that you are taking away the precious limited places for the genuine poor refugees in the camps.
So I'm done with my usual socialist rant and I welcome any further views put forward by fellow readers.
Australia’s so called ‘agreement’ to send the next 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in return for resettling 4000 refugees from Malaysia over the next four years, will occur regardless of whether or not Australia sends those asylum seekers or accepts them within Australia. This coming as a result of the mistreatment of 90,000 refugees in Malaysia according to a recent assessment by the UN stating that refugees in Malaysia were vulnerable to prosecution, deportation, whipping and detention – so why would we be simultaneously sending refugees to the same country that openly engage in the further mistreatment of asylum seekers? How can Australia promote such mistreatment being a country of migrants itself? Isn't that just as 'un-Australian'?
At a time when war is escelating globally, and considering the proportion of the developing world and developed countries that now face poverty, should Australia be protecting its own borders as opposed to increasing business for people smugglers?
Another interesting argument put forward was surrounding the legitimacy of the refugees themselves. are they genuine refugees or are they rich and elite people in the war torn countries or in the refugee camps, exploiting the sympathy of the world to the refugees to advance their immigration plan by flying to Indonesia for a boat trip to Australia? only the poor are the ones who suffer in a war and have no means to escape it. The rich, the elite and the educated are the ones who are able to use their advantage to get out of the countries, legally or illegally. This leads to the question about the "compassion" that the refugee advocates always pride themselves about. Ha, we have the ideologically driven activists who are using their resources, energy, intelligence to advocate the elite and rich at the expense of the poor and under-privileged and are boasting about their "compassion". To the lawyers who are the activists, any boat people that you have helped, if it turns out that they are immigration opportunists in reality but somehow succeed in deceiving the system with your help, means that you are taking away the precious limited places for the genuine poor refugees in the camps.
So I'm done with my usual socialist rant and I welcome any further views put forward by fellow readers.
Wednesday 8 June 2011
The Australian economy and our growing reliance on China
China's growing demand for Australian natural resources (iron ore, copper, and other resources dug up from Port Hedland's wasteland) may have very well been the reason Australia did not fall into recession during the 2008 GFC. Having consumed 37% of Australia's mineral exports over the past fiscal year (up from 5% a decade earlier), China's almost insatiable demand continues to drive the Australian economy. But are we setting ourselves up for vulnerability by our growing dependence? Is Julia Gillard allowing too much investment from China (whilst delicately tempting to charm Washington with pledges of friendship)?
Such exponential growth has attracted a surge of investment in the sector. Having already received $40 billion in investment from mining companies during 2010 (nearly triple the amount from 2005), a further $140 billion worth of mining and energy projects are currently underway. Australia's biggest investment boom since the 1850s gold rush, as boasted by Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan.
But how can an aspiring professional like myself be apart of this growth? Infact, individuals of any industry, blue or white collar? Western Australia, the state that accounts for two-thirds of Australia's exports to China, which has resulted in faster growth and lower unemployment than Australia as a country. So while the world's most powerful nation struggled to find jobs for millions of unemployed, WA is worried about a labour shortage! With the mining sector set to produce 85,000 jobs over the next 18 months, other industries will also be beneficiaries to this growth with the mining boom set to create jobs for waitresses, cabdrivers and hotel clerks.
But are Austrlaians becoming too dependant on Chinese demand? Any economy that becomes too dependant on any one sector takes too big a risk. Are we losing control of our natural wealth to China? However you decide to look at it, Australia is succumbing to the realities of the East - thats where the growth is!
Such exponential growth has attracted a surge of investment in the sector. Having already received $40 billion in investment from mining companies during 2010 (nearly triple the amount from 2005), a further $140 billion worth of mining and energy projects are currently underway. Australia's biggest investment boom since the 1850s gold rush, as boasted by Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan.
But how can an aspiring professional like myself be apart of this growth? Infact, individuals of any industry, blue or white collar? Western Australia, the state that accounts for two-thirds of Australia's exports to China, which has resulted in faster growth and lower unemployment than Australia as a country. So while the world's most powerful nation struggled to find jobs for millions of unemployed, WA is worried about a labour shortage! With the mining sector set to produce 85,000 jobs over the next 18 months, other industries will also be beneficiaries to this growth with the mining boom set to create jobs for waitresses, cabdrivers and hotel clerks.
But are Austrlaians becoming too dependant on Chinese demand? Any economy that becomes too dependant on any one sector takes too big a risk. Are we losing control of our natural wealth to China? However you decide to look at it, Australia is succumbing to the realities of the East - thats where the growth is!
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