cont'd
Some relevant facts -

$640M (taxpayer’s dollars) set aside for refugee settlement over 4 years.

$154M (taxpayer’s dollars) being paid out per annum (to all) on Welfare payments.

Government has a deficit of approx. $320B, therefore we are continually “borrowing” for humanitarian intake? The interest rate alone being $1B per month!

Current Affair 10/2/2016 - As at 2013 - 7% (only) of humanitarian intake have a job, the rest are on Welfare.

We can’t afford to continually carry 93% on welfare.

65% of humanitarian intake are on Newstart ($400) – over Ford Estimates.

78% - don’t speak English.

Over 90% of Afghans still on welfare pay.
Over 70% of Sri-Lankans still on welfare pay
( I missed the rest, you can surely check via Channel 9 website)

Our Government choose those who wish to migrate to Australia, not people smugglers/traffickers.

Government has agreed to take in 12,000 refugees – under Humanitarian Settlement.

Under our regular immigration programme the figure this year has been increased to 13,875. Therefore total immigration = 25,875.

Immigration funding $33.8M – 2015, 2016, 2017.

You say –“ Many refugees don't have the option of placing themselves in the UNHCR. And even for those who do, the queue's a myth. They can wait all their lives and still not be settled”.

Response – the queue is not a myth. (I refer to last Senate Committee) - 14,400 registered with UNHCR.

If we didn’t have the influx of 50,000 “queue jumpers” who conveniently tossed their passports and identification docs overboard, those 14,400 would already be here.

I believe Australia is certainly being generous in supporting further humanitarian refugee settlement.

Saints, I have seen those figures of immigrants on welfare previously.
What is a worry is that those drawing welfare seems to be increasing.
We will be facing a time of decreasing levels of welfare once one
government bights the bullet and starts reducing unemployment payments,
pensions, child support etc etc.
You can see the difficulty the government is having in getting any
change to tax or reduction of spending.
What happens when the musical money round stops ?

What then ?
We could have a very large number of unemployed migrants who do not
speak English ?

Bazz

Most of my info has come via Senate Committees which I viewed last week. I note media outlets have been rather “quiet” in reporting most of the salient points provided by various agencies to all committees, which affect us all. We heading into extremely dangerous waters if we keep spending on the " proverbial credit card”.

We all read various stories about those who continue to receive welfare payments – who shouldn’t - and scam the system. Tax payers don’t have a problem in providing welfare where it’s genuinely needed. I get angry when I read, hear of scammers, rorting the system, thereby reducing Government funding budget allocation for those legitimately in need.

Today’s Sky News – regarding people traffickers. I quote – “People traffickers in Turkey have told Sky News NATO’S warships will not be able to stem the flow of refugees heading across the Agean Sea to Europe.

NATO has deployed three ships to provide surveillance to the Turkish authorities to help them crack down on the smuggling gangs.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees have illegally crossed the stretch of water in the last year, overwhelming the European Union’s ability to cope.

Mohammed has been involved in the people smuggling trade for the last two years. He says the gangs are too well organised and there’s too much money involved for it to be halted. As long as people want to be smuggled the smuggling networks will continue to operate.

Turkey has tried to stop it but we the smugglers are well prepared and are always one step ahead.”

I hope Mohammed and his people smuggling gangs are closer to getting caught.

Aidan

Turkish are also finally cracking down on people smugglers in order to protect their borders and save further lives from being lost at sea. Got nothing to do with Kevin Rudd as you asserted in an earlier post regarding our strong stand on Border Security. Turkey doesn't have a Kevin Rudd. It’s about illegal people trafficking and saving lives (including children) from being drowned at sea.

They will never stop it until they start sending them back.
They load the immigrants onto ferries at Kos etc. The present reason
is to take them to Athens.
All they need to do is take the ferry to a Turkish port.
The Turks cannot object because they are being returned to their port of departure.
Just because it is a narrower stretch of water makes no difference.

Nothing like a cry of "We are back !" to stop the trade.

Bazz

Australia can’t solve the “problems of the World”, but we can certainly protect our Sovereign Borders – and must continue to do so.

There are many European countries who refuse to take in any refugees – I wonder why?

Russia has sent their message to the world, loud and clear – we will not settle any refugees. I wonder why?

One only needs to google news reports from those who landed in Germany and other countries. They were promised by people smugglers when you arrive in Germany or France or other countries you will be given a free home and $$$$’s for food you don’t have to worry about anything.

They now state their anger at being conned by people smugglers – criminals.

I ask a question to those “hand-wringers”, advocates and media what about our homeless, those awaiting urgent Public Housing, those also seeking emergency housing fleeing from domestic violence?

Paul Murry on 8/2/2016 provided the following info – Public Housing Waiting Lists
NSW – 60,000
VIC - 34,726
ACT - 2,320

There are further stats covering all States of Australia, which continue to increase.

Most have been on Public Housing lists for 8 to 10 years – and still waiting!

Oh – and don’t forget about the approx $320B – black hole – with continued spending on that “proverbial credit card”.

Media, advocates and “hand-wringers” all complain about Australia not showing enough compassion to refugees.

Yes, we are a multicultural country, where we all live in peace and harmony, and proud to call Australia home.

We are also called the lucky Country.

How about we assist those in desperate need – on our own doorstep first! Their waiting queue for housing, being along the lines of "The Impossible Dream".

SAINTS,
Firstly, let's get one thing straight: boats crossing our borders do not threaten our borders. Protecting the nation's borders is one of the most important duties of any government, but stopping the boats had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with border protection. Border security is a completely different issue that's much less important, and our borders have CONSTANTLY been among the most secure in the world.

And yes, I really do believe that the "saving lives at sea" claim is a lie to justify xenophobic policies, not a genuine concern for their lives. And I remind you that we don't know how many have been lost at sea after the Libs came in because they don't comment on operational matters. But what we are doing to them now is evil. Not only are we failing to help them, but we're preventing them from helping themselves and preventing NZ from helping them as well.

When something is illegal it tends to become lucrative, hence the criminal gangs. But that doesn't mean everyone involved in people smuggling is bad. Many are, of course, but far from all. And most are not trading people.

Refugees are not to blame for government deficits. The economic cycle is: whatever the government does at the moment, it will run a deficit. But we have unlimited credit so we should stop worrying about it and concentrate on making Australia more productive. Later on in the economic cycle we will be able to (and should) run a surplus, but right now we have neither the need nor the ability to run one.

(TBC)