Hi Marilyn,

"There is no quota for asylum seekers, that is the lie they spin."

Who are 'they' ?

My understanding, perhaps faulty, is that New Zealand, for example, has set a quota this year of 750.

Whatever you might call it, a quota, a target, x, whatever, every country would at least try to set one. I thought, wrongly it seems, that the Labor government here had increased the annual 'whatever' from 14,000 to 20,000, an initiative that I would certainly support.

Assuming that the number of genuine refugees, who have filled out all the right forms and are at this moment waiting their turn in all manner of sh!t-holes around the world, is in the six figures, then given an annual x of 20,000, those currently at the back of the queue will be waiting at least five years.

My ridiculous question was: if people jump the queue by coming by boat, are they counted in the x, or not ?

Joe

Excellent article Syd.

< In campaigning for them now Malcolm Fraser should be ashamed of himself. >

Indeed. But I can see why he's doing it...

The pseudoenvironmental philosophies of the Greens are not far away from the non-environmental policies of the Fraser government.

And Fraser’s desire to see 50 million people (later revised down to 40 million if I remember rightly) in Australia sits perfectly well with the Greens’ lack of concern about population or sustainability!

But when it comes to asylum seekers, his support is a little harder to fathom. I mean, who in their right mind would support the likes of Sarah Hanson-Young and her extraordinary open-borders come-one-come-all-for-ever-more-with-no-limit-on-numbers-and-no-thought-of-the-cost-or-impacts-on-Australian-society… or-deaths-at-sea… asylum seeker ‘antiphilosophy’!

<< …there are some inconsistencies with so-called asylum seekers, population growth and the environment but overall, they are on the money and essential when it comes to “the greatest moral challenge of our time”, climate change and also democracy. >>

I agree David Leigh.

But wow, what enormous ‘inconsistencies’ those three things are! In fact they are so huge that they cancel out all their good policies ten fold, and long ago led me to quit the Greens, after having been a state candidate in 1995.

It is such crying shame that the Greens are woeful on population growth and real sustainability, and just completely misguided on asylum seekers.

But they are no more misguided than the Libs or Labs.

In reply to Ludwig and Planet3

I guess my hurriedly put together rant does appear a little contradictory, but then that is how I see the Greens current platform. With increased population, especially of people who lack any of the skills/professional qualities required for a performing economy, such as Australia and the extra burden on emissions, it seems not to serve any environmental or economic purpose. The only benefit would be to lower the per capita rate on emissions.

I believe the Greens party is emerging as an alternative however, to the Lib-Lab (weather house) model of the past and take us one step closer to governing by policy, rather than by the intransigent team game of the last century.

We do however, have to put in place some sort of program for migrants, especially refugees, as we enter the era of climate exiles that established economies are responsible for. If we do not put a process in place, with realistic targets and defend it, we are likely to be swamped with an overwhelming rush, which will not serve Australian values in the long term.

ISBN 9-78957 943650 Climate Change Generation

The only way forward is the sustainable path, both ecologically and economically. The old model of corporate giants, demanding resources in return for pollution and very few jobs is no longer acceptable in today’s world. An Abbott-led government will wind back the clocks in that regard, making our competitiveness in a carbon-centric world a non-event. Labor, under Rudd or anyone else will at least attempt to get it on the agenda and will look after working Australians. That means small business and a green economy, both of which provide the maximum job opportunities. Where the Greens role lies is in making sure we maximize on these because it is no good just paying lip-service to them; we are way behind on our targets because of party politics and a vote for Green, in the senate, will take control from the major parties and give it to everyday Australians.