Advance Australia... Fair?

Tonight I was looking around, and found a verse of the National Anthem that I didn't know existed. It's from this website, which is vaguely obsessed with the origins and evolution of Advance Australia Fair: http://www.hamilton.net.au/advance.html

Of course, we all know about THIS little white lie in the National Anthem...

"For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share..."

But how's THIS for a little bit defensive? It particularly reminds me of the current friendly Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill...

"Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Brittannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains the let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"


And how's THIS for up ourselves? Gee whizz.

"While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair!"

So people from England, Scotia and Erin's Isle are welcome (ie we can all combine with heart and hand, whatever that means), but should FOREIGN foe e'er sight our coast or dare a foot to land, we'll clobber them. Awww. How sweet.

A friend of mine (British) recently wrote to me an email wherein he suggested that the Australian Tourism Bureau should consider the slogan "Australia: It's alright if you're white!"

I think he speaks the truth. Blergh.

Detention & Music: Uncomfortable Bedfellows

Well, after a couple of weeks of flat-chat lobbying, writing, emailing, talking, interviewing, explaining, praying and general preparation for the reforms to go to Parliament this week, I thought I would re-devote this page to the purpose for which it was created... My thoughts about detentiony stuff.

Tuesday night saw me and 2 of my friends - James and Paul - arriving at Maribyrnong with 2 guitars and a little Peavey amp. We went through a rather rigourous security check involving the X-ray machine, the guitars, Paul's belt and a lot of loose change, but finally made it through to the centre. We set up on some plastic chairs sort of in front of the wall they use as a projector screen, plugged in, the detainees arrived and we started to play.

The guy who's in charge of keeping the detainees entertained switched out the lights, and brought out an electric disco ball. It was just plain strange. There we were, in the dark, in a detention centre, coloured lights playing brightly on the walls, with 25 or so miserable, bored, depressed, lonely and scared individuals, all sitting around wearing their stupid standard-issue detention tracksuits, folded awkwardly into plastic chairs and remembering the times when they were free to hear music played in their own space, in their own time, on their own terms- in freedom.

The boys (and I, from time to time) sang and played a lot of favourites, but towards the end of the set someone requested Kasey Chambers. I don't really know much Kasey Chambers, but Paul began to play True Colours, and I started to sing. We had never done that song before, but it just WORKED. Pretty soon, I was finding it quite emotional. I had been at Maribyrnong on Saturday and Sunday, and was back again on the Tuesday night. I'd been talking a lot to those guys, they've all been struggling recently, and I had just spent a day at "work" dealing a guy whose child had been killed last year, having him sitting in the office, crying and raging against the horror of what has happened in his life.

As I was singing, I couldn't help but think of the words, and their power in that situation. I had to hold back a tear. I can't bear to think of what we are doing to these people. And if the changes to the law pass... I don't know what I will do... I'm speechless just thinking about it...

JT x

TRUE COLOURS

You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize it's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up, because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

KEEP WRITING LETTERS: IT'S WORKING!!!

Hi Everyone,

You may be aware that there has been such a stink kicked up in the Liberal party room that the debate and vote on the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Act has been delayed! I'm not exactly sure what the timeline is, but if the thing were going to pass without any fuss whatsoever, things would be looking quite different.

DO NOT GIVE UP! KEEP WRITING!!!

Here is an example of a letter I have written to about 30 politicians over the past couple of days. I will put another massive pile of addresses at the bottom of this email - USE THEM! We just have to convince Liberal Senators and Members to vote against it. It's such a massive issue of conscience that that shouldn't be hard!


Dear Elected Representative of the Australian Population:

I write to you as a final year Arts (Hons) / Law (Hons) student, a Christian, a recently returned intern with the Australian delegation to the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, and a weekly visitor to Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre for the past almost 4 years.

The migration law amendments being proposed this week are very worrying. They are a perversion of international law, of basic human right standards, a multi-faceted breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Refugees Convention. They are contrary to principles of burden sharing, humanitarianism and the rule of law. They are unbelievably EXPENSIVE! Imagine the benefits of reallocating the funding that these measures will consume. These laws are also a
direct break of the Government's promise to keep children out of detention.

In Australia, the only circumstance in which there is a recorded scourge of pre-adolescent suicidal ideation is in immigration
detention. Children as young as 5 have tried to end their lives by hanging themselves with bedsheets, belts and electrical cords. They have slashed their throats, wrists and chests with knives, razor blades and broken glass. THIS IS NOT A LEGITIMATE MEANS TO ANY POLICY OBJECTIVE. The trauma experienced by children in detention is not news to anybody, and I have attached a drawing done by a child after witnessing a self-harm incident. Imagine your horror if you saw such a picture come from your child or grandchild... We, as a nation, CANNOT have this blood on our hands.

Last year the government agreed no child should be in detention, let alone indefinitely, let alone on Nauru, let alone stripped of all recourse to the Australian legal system.

I beg you not to let this happen on YOUR watch. Today may be the day that I one day must explain to my grandchildren. We are facing the creation of tomorrow's shame and you are in the driver's seat, accountable before God and in the eyes of this country.

Yours sincerely,

Jessie Taylor




WRITE TO THESE PEOPLE:

senator.payne@aph.gov.au, Bruce.Baird.MP@aph.gov.au,
P.Georgiou.MP@aph.gov.au, J.Moylan.MP@aph.gov.au,
Russell.Broadbent.MP@aph.gov.au, Steven.Ciobo.MP@aph.gov.au,
P.Secker@aph.gov.au, j.forrest.mp@aph.gov.au, kay.hull.mp@aph.gov.au,
senator.joyce@aph.gov.au, Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au,
Kim.Beazley.MP@aph.gov.au, "Bartlett, Andrew (Senator)"
, "Nettle, Kerry (Senator)"
, senator.allison@aph.gov.au,
senator.vanstone@aph.gov.au, P.Ruddock.MP@aph.gov.au,
Bronwyn.Bishop.MP@aph.gov.au, tony@tonyabbott.com.au,
B.Billson.MP@aph.gov.au, julie.bishop.mp@aph.gov.au,
Kevin.Rudd.MP@aph.gov.au, P.Costello.MP@aph.gov.au,
Ann.Corcoran.MP@aph.gov.au, Anna.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au,
Julia.Gillard.MP@aph.gov.au, Julia.Irwin.MP@aph.gov.au,
Dennis.Jensen.MP@aph.gov.au, Kevin.Andrews.MP@aph.gov.au,
Fran.Bailey.MP@aph.gov.au, Mark.Baker.MP@aph.gov.au,
Bob.Baldwin.MP@aph.gov.au, Phil.Barresi.MP@aph.gov.au,
Kerry.Bartlett.MP@aph.gov.au, Julie.Bishop.MP@aph.gov.au,
Mal.Brough.MP@aph.gov.au, A.Cadman.MP@aph.gov.au,
A.Downer.MP@aph.gov.au, T.Draper.MP@aph.gov.au,
Peter.Dutton.MP@aph.gov.au, K.Elson.MP@aph.gov.au,
Warren.Entsch.MP@aph.gov.au, Pat.Farmer.MP@aph.gov.au,
David.Fawcett.MP@aph.gov.au, Michael.Ferguson.MP@aph.gov.au,
T.Gambaro.MP@aph.gov.au, Joanna.Gash.MP@aph.gov.au,
Barry.Haase.MP@aph.gov.au, Gary.Hardgrave.MP@aph.gov.au,
David.Hawker.MP@aph.gov.au, Stuart.Henry.MP@aph.gov.au,
J.Hockey.MP@aph.gov.au, Greg.Hunt.MP@aph.gov.au,
Michael.Johnson.MP@aph.gov.au, David.Jull.MP@aph.gov.au,
Sophie.Panopoulos.MP@aph.gov.au, Peter.Slipper.MP@aph.gov.au,
S.Stone.MP@aph.gov.au, Malcolm.Turnbull.MP@aph.gov.au,
Danna.Vale.MP@aph.gov.au, Barry.Wakelin.MP@aph.gov.au,
Andrew.Robb.mp@aph.gov.au, senator.fielding@aph.gov.au

Taking Last-Minute Action on the Proposed Reforms

Hi everyone,

Well Parliament is due to sit on Monday, and we have the promise of the proposed changes going through as soon as possible

BUT IT'S NOT TOO LATE! There is still time to do your bit and ask our representatives to VOTE AGAINST THE BILL.

First, go to www.getup.org.au and sign the Petition there.

Second, email some or all of the following people (as well as your local Labor member), asking them to vote against the bill:

Liberals:
Marise Payne senator.payne@aph.gov.au
Bruce Baird Bruce.Baird.MP@aph.gov.au
Petro Georgiou P.Georgiou.MP@aph.gov.au
Judi Moylan J.Moylan.MP@aph.gov.au
Russell Broadbent Russell.Broadbent.MP@aph.gov.au
Steven Ciobo Steven.Ciobo.MP@aph.gov.au
Patrick Secker P.Secker@aph.gov.au

John Forrest j.forrest.mp@aph.gov.au (National)
Kay Hull kay.hull.mp@aph.gov.au (National)
Barnaby Joyce senator.joyce@aph.gov.au (National)

Tony Burke Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au (Labor)
Kim Beazley Kim.Beazley.MP@aph.gov.au (Labor)

Steve Fielding senator.fielding@aph.gov.au (Family First)

This thing is going to hit the table on MONDAY MAY 8th. There will no doubt still be MPs who have not yet decided which way to vote. NOW IS THE TIME TO APPLY PRESSURE!

(thanks to www.envirotruth.com for the image)

Want to see what Amanda Vanstone has to say about the proposed reforms...?

Click on this link, go to the Vanstone interview, watch it and weep!

http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/index.php?page=archive&artmon=05&fyear=2006#

*** PLEASE NOTE! Under its Memorandum of Understanding with Nauru, it is the Australian Government which dictates the conditions of the detention of asylum seekers in Nauru. Nauruan sovereignty has nothing to do with it. Senator Vanstone's assertion that "We can influence them but we can't make rules" is a joke - the detention of asylum seekers on Nauru is under Australia's direction. DO NOT LET HER MUDDLE YOU UP!

Also - an "unlawful arrival" is simply someone who arrives without a designated legal status. It does NOT mean illegal! Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Refugees Convention and s36 of Australia's Migration Act, IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO ARRIVE IN AUSTRALIA BY BOAT AND SEEK ASYLUM! (just remember that. i'm sorry to shout...)


Here is a transcript of the interview if you can't watch it:

THE GETUP AD:


CHILD: One, two, three, four.

VOICEOVER: Five years, five months and 20 days - the time an innocent child has spent in detention. Australians said, "This is wrong!" Together we decided no child fleeing persecution would be locked up. As you watch this, our Government has promised Indonesia it will change that law. Log on to: getup.org.au and tell our Government no child belongs in detention. Authorised B Solomon, GetUp, Sydney.



GEORGE NEGUS: Senator, I presume that the GetUp commercial has been brought your attention which talks about the proposed changes to the Government's refugee policy. What do you think of it?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE, MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION: Not much actually, but I am always grateful to live in a free country where everyone can express their views and in whatever fashion may choose, so fair enough.

GEORGE NEGUS: As I understand it we spoke to the GetUp people and they've had 10,000 hits already on their website so they reckon that their campaign against what you are proposing is going pretty well. 10,000 is not to be sniffed at.

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: No, that's right. One person's view is not to be sniffed at. Everybody is entitled to have their view and people are entitled to have a different view from the view the Government has arrived at and they're entitled to express their view. I'm quite relaxed about that. That's the sort of country we live in.

GEORGE NEGUS: That is true. What they seem to be upset about is they thought there was last July an agreement that no children in particular will be placed in detention under your policies, now they say that this is reneging on the deal.

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Those arrangements related to Australian detention which includes of course Christmas Island and we live up to that. Those arrangements also indicated that we could make these sort of changes because the boats have stopped coming and that if there were a further influx, we may have to look at it, so as I say…

GEORGE NEGUS: These are the 42 refugees from West Papua that fall into that category, as a reason for considering. -

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: No I don’t say it in that context, I simply say that at the time I think was clear that it related to Australian detention facilities. We can't make rules in relation to facilities and other countries. We can influence them but we can't make rules. We changed the rules in Australia.

GEORGE NEGUS: What are you saying here? I think that earlier in the day, you said that this means that Christmas Island is somewhere where you could not send children but Nauru is somewhere where you could. In other words we can lock up children, if you like, in detention centres on Nauru but not in Christmas Island or Western Australia, what are you saying?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Well I am saying that in Australian territory the arrangements we made last year apply and that of course includes Christmas Island. It is a part of Australia’s territory, but Nauru is another country.

GEORGE NEGUS: In moral terms, let's take the politics out of it, even the legality out of it. Isn't that a breathtaking display ever hair-splitting? Why is it okay to put children in detention in Nauru but not in Christmas Island?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Well we would prefer that there were no people in detention, that would clearly be my preference, but it is another country. I do not think that is spitting hairs, Australia is one country and Nauru is another, there is a fundamental difference.

GEORGE NEGUS: This is the Pacific solution plus one.

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: You can describe it that way but can I put this proposition to you, we hope that we don't have to re-use Nauru. That’s what I very much hope and I think people who are considering the situation of women and children are quite entitled to do that - we of course want to have the best arrangements we can worked out with Nauru on Nauru if another boat arrives. But the whole purpose of this change is to ensure that Australia is not plagued with people arriving unlawfully and at the same time that if people do arrive unlawfully and they have an asylum claim that it is properly heard according to the rules.

GEORGE NEGUS: Offshore - not on Australian territory?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: People do not have a right to say where their claim will be heard. They have a right for their claim to be heard and they have a right if their claim is in the yes to protection, and we will live up to that.

GEORGE NEGUS: And are you absolutely sure that the UNHCR would agree with you that the spirit of the whole refugee agreement throughout the world is that if people come to Australia seeking political asylum, they expect their case to be heard in Australia not Nauru.

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Oh people want and expect things to be heard in Australia, I have no doubt about that. I have equally no doubt that the UNHCR is not in favour of our policy of off shore processing. They do not however put the proposition forward that we do not have people properly processed on Nauru.
In fact the outcome rates on Nauru for people processed by Australian officials and by the UNHCR case load, were roughly the same and those outcome rates for extremely high - in other words, on Nauru when we do the processing, it is of a very very fair application of the UNHCR guidelines.

GEORGE NEGUS: Let’s say that next week we get another 40 unauthorised people arriving, what happens?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Well if people come without a visa, by boat, they could expect to be processed in Nauru if they had an asylum card.

GEORGE NEGUS: In Nauru, immediately?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: As quickly as possible, yes. We would want the process to be dealt with as quickly as possible so that anyone that was entitled to protection and therefore got a yes on their protection visa claim, could be as quickly as possible found protection.

GEORGE NEGUS: What if they came here with the same claim as the people that you did grant those protection visas to, the 42. People who claimed they were fearful of persecution in West Papua at hands of the Indonesian military. You’ve suggested that these people are using Australia as a, I forget the term that you used..a point where they can actually make their protest?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: I will make a couple of points in response to that. First of all, each claim is dealt with individually. The decision on the 42 were not made on a blanket claim at all.

GEORGE NEGUS: What basis were they made?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Individual claims by a individual people based on individual circumstances. Simply because someone makes a protest you can't say “that’s a stunt, they are just protesters”. They may well have a valid visa claim, as was the case with these 42 people. But equally because you decide that their visa claim is valid does not mean that you agree that everything they have said publicly is true.

GEORGE NEGUS: My understanding is that they all claimed, they feared persecution in the form of obituary arrest and detention, imprisonment, physical assault, torture or possible execution at the hands of Indonesian authorities in West Papua, what other reason would they come here for? That’s why they came here.

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Well I am not going to go into each of the individual claims partly because I haven't gone through each claim but also because the point that I have made to you is, I think the proper way to describe the manner in which these claims are decided.

GEORGE NEGUS: What if one of those 42 said that they wanted asylum here because they feared persecution, even death at their hands of Indonesian authorities in West Papua, isn't that Australia giving tacit agreement to their reason and therefore acknowledging what is going on there.

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Anyone who makes an asylum claim that is a valid claim and if it is decided in the yes, will get protection.

GEORGE NEGUS: But you see my point? If you signed off on their application for a protection visa, on the grounds that they claimed, that they feared persecution at hands of Indonesian military in West Papua, you are saying, “that must be going on.”

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: You are trying to take an individual case and say therefore it must be happening across the board and that anyone that comes here is likely to have a successful claim, now that isn’t true.

GEORGE NEGUS: Senator can I ask you this, do you, as a politician of the Australian Parliament, do you believe that there are people in West Papua who are being persecuted but Indonesian military on political grounds and that is why some of them are wanting to come to this country?

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Well as I said the Indonesian government acknowledges that through their own human rights body that is in West Papua, that there are circumstances that caused concern but I am very keen for your listeners to understand that the acceptance of an individual claim or the acceptance that things can happen but shouldn't is not a judgment that they happen across the board in a state or territory or government at large. It comes back on each occasion to the individual claim. That is what is important. Each case is treated individually on its merits.

GEORGE NEGUS: Senator, thank you very much for talking to us.

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE: Pleasure.

Mea Culpa

Wow I am having a shocker of a day today! It seems to be the day that a few things I've written have come back to bite me.

So instead of pretending nothing has happened, I am going to correct - right here - two points that I have written about recently which I have since discovered are incorrect.

The first is: The comment published earlier and then sent to the Project Safecom mailing list today regarding medication on Nauru is incorrect.

The second is: Legislation excising the maternity ward at the Adelaide Hospital from the Migration Zone was NOT passed in direct response to the birth of one specific child in 2003. Rather, legislation was passed a number of years ago stripping children of asylum seekers of any birthright they may have by virtue of being born in Australia.

I am really sorry if any of this has been problematic. It is so hard dealing with this area because so much is anecdotal, so much is shrouded in DIMA-enforced secrecy, smoke and mirrors, and of course some is with-held for the protection of confidentiality.

Please excuse my errors.

JT