The following Editorial was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, September 12th, 2001. Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. Sydney. 2010 Australia. Phone: (612) 9212 6855 Fax: (612) 9281 5795. CPA Central Committee: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> "The Guardian": <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Webpage: http://www.cpa.org.au> Subscription rates on request. ****************************** Editorial: Putting a fence around Australia The latest proposal of the Howard Government to excise the Ashmore Reef and Christmas Island as places where refugees may lodge refugee applications must go down as one of the most bizarre proposals ever advanced. It also indicates that the Government intends to put a fence around Australia to keep out even the tiny trickle of refugees that find a way to approach Australia's shores by way of boats. The Government is lurching from one contemptible act to another and although it might temporarily win votes, it will have long-term and bad consequences for Australia. Although Government Ministers vehemently deny that the Government's agenda is rooted in its drive to win re-election, the timing of their actions are certainly related to the elections and they do express the deep-seated racist attitudes of Howard personally and some other members of his government. The Government believes that by beating the racist and anti-refugee drum it is on an election winner. But this could quickly change as the opportunism and immorality of the Howard Government's actions are more widely challenged. The well attended protest demonstrations in Sydney and Adelaide in recent days are an indication that many do not accept the Government's policy and excuses. Australia is a nation of migrants. Every family, apart from those of the Indigenous people are migrants or refugees or their descendants. The first illegal migrants were brought to Australia by Governor Phillip in 1788. They did not present their documents or receive the permission of the Aboriginal people to occupy their country. But, the attitude of those who now selfishly want to keep the refugees out would be shamed by the words of Aboriginal leader Ray Robinson at the Sydney protest meeting last Sunday. In welcoming the audience to Aboriginal land he said we do not ask what passports or documents people have, they are welcome. While the Prime Minister is urging the Liberal Party to put One Nation last on the ballot paper he is, in fact, implementing the exact policies of One Nation both as regards refugees and the Aboriginal people. Pauline Hanson has protested that the Government is stealing her policies having made the proposal last week to put Ashmore Reef and Christmas Island out of bounds. For its part, the Labor Party is desperately hoping that the issue will go away. Rather than make a stand on principle and support Australia's international obligations and expose the Government's immoral policies, Kim Beazley is attempting to manoeuvre by talking of a bi-partisan policy and agreeing with the Government on most aspects of what it is doing. However, the issue will not go away - the Government will see to that just as long as it feels it is winning votes by making refugees a main issue. This leaves the Labor Party with no alternative if it is not to lose an otherwise unlosable election, to stand up for what is right and just. The fact is that the 600 refugees who are now on the "Manoora" are a mere drop in the ocean. Even if all were given refugee status it would neither bankrupt the Australian economy nor upset social stability. It is the promotion of racism by the Government and sections of the media that is destabilising Australian society. Migrants are not responsible for the promotion of racism. There is a warning for those who promote racism in the results of the Auburn by-election in NSW. Premier Carr is personally responsible for branding one migrant community as responsible for a gang rape that is alleged to have occurred. Carr also promoted "law and order" as a major issue.His government is also responsible for a savage attack on Workers' Compensation entitlements and rights that affect all workers. The Labor Party's vote slumped in the by-election from 60 per cent of the primary vote to only 46 per cent. The Unity Party which campaigned on an anti-racism platform won 10 per cent of the vote. The vote of One Nation declined from six per cent in the previous election to 4.5 per cent last Saturday. The Howard Government is attempting to fence Australia off and turn the country into an exclusive ghetto but the Government's attitude is already bringing very widespread international condemnation. It is to be hoped that the Australian people will reject what are immoral, offensive and shameful policies. -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
