Australia Reacts To Its New Asylum Seeker Policy

By

Published

July 20, 2013

In a classic late-Friday afternoon press conference yesterday—in an attempt to curb the weight of the news among nation-wide TGIFs and beersies o’clock—Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an historic announcement that all but tattooed “~STOP THE BOATS~” across his shiny forehead. The crux of Rudd’s announcement alongside the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neill, was summed up in Rudd’s frank, hardlined statement: “As of today asylum seekers who come here by boat without a visa will never be settled in Australia.” From now on, any boat-bound asylum seeker without a visa will be sent directly to Papua New Ginuea, to be processed on Manus Isalnd, and if considered a “genuine refugee” they will be freed in to the PNG society where homosexuality is illegal; where 70% of women are beaten or raped and 45-75% of children witness domestic violence.

Australia, welcome to a country that no longer accepts asylum seekers arriving by boats, and pays another country to fix the problem instead. Rudd’s announcement yesterday afternoon signals an important shift in the incessant debates about asylum seekers and refugees seeking to call Australia home, as a decision—rather than stagnating Monday nights with every question on Q&A being “but what about the boats?”—has finally been made; and something is being done. Division on the announcement is fierce; opposition raged online as soon as Kevin Rudd said “I’ve gotta zip” at the end of his press conference.

As the government—assumedly—darted their eyes and awkwardly scrubbed out the line “For those who’ve come across the seas we’ve boundless plains to share” from the second verse of our national anthem, twitter was getting fiery.

Greens Senator Christine Milne looked completely crest-fallen at the news, sombrely lamenting the announcement and saying that yesterday was “a day of refugee shame.”

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott supports the policy, but has no faith in Labor’s potential to handle the new policy, because of course he doesn’t think they can handle it: “This is labor’s fifth go at getting it right and whilst it is a promising development, it is about processing people not about stopping the boats.”

On The Hoopla, an 11 year old boy penned his reaction to the policy announcement, with eloquence and conviction to rival the politicians who spurred his response:

“Mr. Rudd is now sending people to Papua New Guinea if they are what he calls ‘genuine refugees’ who are refugees who waited in line to be ‘processed’. I’ve always hated that term when it’s used like that. As if they’re animals. However, if they are transported here by people smugglers, on a boat, they will be sent back to their country immediately. We need to remember what these people have been through. We need to remember the national anthem. Does it not say, “We’ve boundless plains to share?” We must stop sending these people back!”

Kevin Rudd maintained, in his press announcement, that “We are a compassionate nation and we will continue to deliver a strong humanitarian program. There is nothing compassionate about criminal operations which see children and families drowning at sea.” Following Rudd’s statement, “R.I.P Human Rights” was getting thrown around on twitter in abandon, and #auspol, as ever, began trending heavily. Tweets from the opposing camp supporting the policy are scarce, criticism is rife:

I hang my head in shame at @KRuddMP new asylum seeker policy…Here’s a good piece from @lenoretaylor http://t.co/rxCFLapIJm via @attardmon

— Jessica Rowe (@msjrowe) July 19, 2013

Decades from now, a Prime Minister will stand before this nation and issue an apology for the policies once put in place #lateline

— Gavin Heaton (@servantofchaos) July 19, 2013

a·sigh·lum

1. Having to explain to idiots over and over that seeking asylum isn’t illegal.

— Bec (@Brocklesnitch) July 19, 2013

Finders keepers! (/senders to PNG)

— Tom Ballard (@TomCBallard) July 19, 2013

Just to be safe, I’m never getting on a boat again.

— Dom Alessio (@domalessio) July 19, 2013

No comment.

— Stop the Votes (@StoptheVotes) July 19, 2013

Well this is the inevitable result of turning immigration policy into a dick measuring contest between psychopaths.

— Joe McKenzie (@aJoeMcKenzie) July 19, 2013

To clarify, will the ability to claim asylum in Australia now depend on the mode of transport you use? What about cruise ships and yachts?

— Dominic Knight (@domknight) July 19, 2013

Did Tony Abbott actually say “The original and the best when it comes to stopping the boats”? Like a chip flavour?

— Mia Freedman (@MiaFreedman) July 19, 2013

And today, your Saturday paper may contain an advertisement to confirm the policy by SHOUTING IN YOUR FACE:

The presence of these ads and their publication in today’s papers signals that this policy has been a long time coming. Protests against the policy are being held in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra today.