Dear Josephus,

No. I don't believe in "open borders."
Throwing open the borders is no solution at all.
We do have a problem with asylum seekers - and
as I've stated previously a regional solution
with regional co-operation is something that
hopeful will help solve the complex issue that
has perplexed us for so long.

onthebeach,

You continue to try to misrepresent my views.
I am simply stating historical facts of conditions
that existed at the time.

Most post-war immigrants came to Australia as indentured
labour. That is, every migrant over the age of 18 had to
enter into a two year contract with the Australian
government which obliged the migrant to work wherever
directed. The contracts were strictly enforced, even if
it meant families were split up. The initial two-year
contracts were the migrants' first major contribution to
Australia.

One could try and argue that the indentured contract
scheme was equally beneficial to Australia and to the
migrants. One could say, for example, that Australia
benefited because the migrants solved its acute labour
shortage in key areas, while the migrants benefited, too,
by being assured of jobs and having an opportunity to
settle in a new country.

This argument is difficult to sustain. Australia was the
last country to enter the International Refugee Organisation's
re-settlement scheme and, political rhetoric aside,
"economic expedience was by far the stronger motivation."
(Panich, C. 1988. "Sanctuary? Remembering post-war immigration."
North Sydney: George Allen & Unwin Australia, p. 137).
The Australian government contributed only ten pounds towards
each migrant's fare. The rest of the passage was paid by
various non-Australian welfare agencies.

I've already written about the conditions that existed
at the time. These were simply the conditions of that time.
Not intended as any kind of slur.

For your information - my family members are all
Australian citizens.
All have shown a
great love and attachment to this country.
So, before ending I would like to simply blow you a great
big raspberry - which you have earned!

Nice try at buffing up your sledging of Australia. While still leaving in some 'outs' to sink the slipper into Australia again, but of course.

You have your own storytelling, but it would be very interesting if your parents share your jaundiced views. All I can tyhink of is that as a girl raised in a city suburb you must have had a comfortable insulated life, leading to high expectations of all around you. Many girls were raised as princesses by their doting parents. It was different in the country where I grew up.

You say you are a librarian, but where and for whom and for what purpose you don't say.

It is astonishing that you are so ill-informed about post WW2 Australia. Incredible that you persist in your belief that the Lituanians who came here post WW2 were somehow tricked into false expectations, and were treated badly and worse than the ordinary civil population.

You talk about family separations. How many and under what circumstances God only knows, it is your storytelling anyhow. But you should be aware that family separation was common at the time. My own family had many examples as men went to areas to get work, but not as many as the separations for life resulting from the death of loved ones in your stupid European wars.

Lexi,

I am just another poster you level that silliness at.

Do yourself a favour and try to take in the very honest and frank comments of chrisgaff1000. There are not so many times in life that we get opportunities like that to challenge our own views. Because experienced professionals like chrisgaff1000 have largely given up on getting people to understand.

On the off-chance that you believe you have the training and expertise to say better, why don't you cite those right now?

onthebeach,

Sorry, I stopped reading after your
"jaundice" reference.

"All seems infected that the infected spy.
As all looks yellow
to the jaundiced eye."
(Alexander Pope).

Lexi,

LOL You can't see the irony of that?

Talk with your parents and see if they really see any basis for you to be prejudiced against the country of choice that gave them refuge and a new start. Otherwise you could have been quoting a Russian poet instead.

Good on you, Lexi, and your family for forging their life in a new country.

Yes, post-war European immigrants made an enormous contribution to Australia's prosperity.

Never mind otb's jibes about European wars. Even at the outset of WWII we still imagined ourselves fighting for "King and Country"...their wars were our wars too...and obviously even more so as the war progressed.

I'm reminded of the sort of values that are worth fighting for - and I'm not seeing them displayed in great measure by the insular, cringing attitudes abounding on this forum.