Shadow, you say "White farmers trying to flee" where have these people fled to? Are they in a refugee camp? If they are legitamate refugees then we have a humanitarian responsibility to do what we can for them. Of course if we are to take these good folk as refugees, or migrants, we will need to carefully check their criminal past to ensure they are not murderous cut throats who engaged in despicable acts of violence under the apartheid regime.

This whole issue seems to centre around land reform in these countries. Rightly or wrongly, land reform is a internal matter for South Africa and Zimbabwe, the two countries you mentioned . As I understand it, the democratically elected government of South Africa has popular support from the majority of citizens to instigate land reform. White farmers, according to some, are holding vast tracks of land illegally acquired, and they want it back. Its not a matter for the Australian government to be involved with, even if Dud Dutton wants to kick his racists can!

I have not contributed much to this thread
It has racism as a theme, yes we should take in those who need protection, race/faith politics no barrier
But bet your house the poster would not agree if it was Muslims, say those very near us who dare not return to their country
See my point? in the expectation white south African migrants/refugees will be conservatives some want selective migration
While standing firmly against it for those races or faiths they do not want here

Paul,

Often you talk out of your backside, but this time what you utter is the purest manure and racism. Land reform is a internal issue up to a point, so I suppose the issue of land reform in Burma is none our business because their ancestors stole the land illegally from the original inhabitants. Secondly apartheid was in South Africa and not in Zimbabwe, and those that were involved in various crimes were generally not farmers.

Secondly, in Zimbabwe, the vast majority of the value in the land was due to the $Ms plowed into roads, dams buildings etc that enabled high levels of food production from relatively arid land. The proof of this is the total collapse of food production on these lands when the infrastructure was not maintained, (especially on the farms that weren't taken by the black political elite) and the majority of the Zimbabwe population is now unemployed, starving, and has no transport, education or health that it enjoyed while being oppressed.

Considering that the white population has dropped for >300 000 to less than 20 000, where have they all fled to? pretty much all over the world. Half the farmers have gone to Zambia, Mozambique etc where they are running prosperous farms employing and feeding the people. Considering that the war ended in 1980 and those evicted were evicted after 2000 and were essentially the next generation the vast majority bought their farms and stole nothing from anyone.

Shadow, poor comprehension, I never said apartheid was in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), we know it was practised in South Africa, The Ian Smith regime had other things for the black population to cop. My comments are directed towards the situation in South Africa as it is now. You prattle on about racism in my comments, when none exists. Your man Dutton is the racists, only being concerned with a handful of white South Africans, because they are white and have cash, wants them declared European refugees and fast tracked into Australia without joining the so called refugee queue, and without the proper checks being done. The same rules should apply to everyone.

I truly thought we are in fact talking about SOUTH AFRICA, not heard about refugees from that country well aware of the murder of white farmers there

Hi Belly,

Shadow threw in Zimbabwe, I've never been a big fan of South Africa as a country, not a place I would ever have liked to have resided, as a black or a white. The worst excesses of colonialism are manifested there. Now there is turmoil over land ownership, to be expected given the history.

For a couple of hundred years the white colonialists, British and Dutch, did very well out of the place. The colonials had a large subservient black population at their beck and call, to be exploited as they wished. Now the chickens are coming home to roost.

I see no problem with Australia taking genuine refugees from South Africa of any colour, but they should not be given any special consideration because of their whitness and wealth, that is what Dutton, and Shadow agrees, tried to do. Now Shadow want to call me, the racists.