Sudan in Australia
January 16th 2007 06:56
Its been much publicized (as much as anything is *much* or *well* publicized in Australia) how the Sudanese refugees hoping to be incorporated into Australian communities have been deined by the City Council of Tamworth, NSW.
The proposed refugees are not of unlimited number, but rather, the proposal was for the re-location of 5 refugee families. The city council denied 5 familes the right to move to Tamworth. And do you know what is more outrageous? Nevermind the fact that in an interview on ABC news Amanda Vanstone had nothing to say in defense of the shunned refugees, what is more outrageous is the justifications that residents of Tamworth have offered for their rejection.
First and foremost, as Australians do when issues of immigration or refugees come up, they turned to water. Australia doesn't have enough water. This concern might be credible if Tamworth weren't about to host a country music festival to which nearly 50,000 people are expected to flock. There is no concern with water-shortages over the days of the festival, and that is with an increase of 50,000 people. Please, do tell me how 5 families could possibly impact the water supply so drastically? And do you know what? No one has been able to expand any further about how water is a decent justification for denying re-location privledges. Even Amanda Vanstone refused to acknowledge that the denial on resource-shortage justifications was, well, less then justified!
Knowing full-well that their justification based on water is thin at best, residents have concocted all kind of other reasons for denying these Sudanese families access to their community. How ever would they deal with the cultural changes they were about to encounter, asked one, not so bright, and particuarlly concerned resident? I mean, there's the normal flow of traffic, and the ability to locate and purchase items that are required. These people, never having dealt with these things would be overwhelmed by the "culture" of Australia. Yes, that's right, that was an actual argument, advanced by an actual woman. Now she might not be incorrect (though chances are avoiding being hit by a car driving according to traffic rules will be small potatotes for a refugee family fleeing Sudan, a country beset by chronic civil-war and violence), what is inconcevable is that this was an excuse for keeping them out. Instead of feeling generous, or obliged to help ease the integration of these families, this woman opted to nominate such difficulties as a justification for denial.
Perhaps the residents of Tamworth would do well with a community lesson on the status of the Sudan, the things that these people are fleeing, and the things their country has endured. We all know that those that get out of such torn countries are not usually (or ever) the people most in need of help. Regardless, leaving your country in a time of war to become a refugee is certainly not a life opportunity most people hope for. To be turned away from a community so brutally is unaccaptable, when held both to standards of internatioanl law and standards of human sympathy.
Those who are in the know should be outraged.
The proposed refugees are not of unlimited number, but rather, the proposal was for the re-location of 5 refugee families. The city council denied 5 familes the right to move to Tamworth. And do you know what is more outrageous? Nevermind the fact that in an interview on ABC news Amanda Vanstone had nothing to say in defense of the shunned refugees, what is more outrageous is the justifications that residents of Tamworth have offered for their rejection.
First and foremost, as Australians do when issues of immigration or refugees come up, they turned to water. Australia doesn't have enough water. This concern might be credible if Tamworth weren't about to host a country music festival to which nearly 50,000 people are expected to flock. There is no concern with water-shortages over the days of the festival, and that is with an increase of 50,000 people. Please, do tell me how 5 families could possibly impact the water supply so drastically? And do you know what? No one has been able to expand any further about how water is a decent justification for denying re-location privledges. Even Amanda Vanstone refused to acknowledge that the denial on resource-shortage justifications was, well, less then justified!
Knowing full-well that their justification based on water is thin at best, residents have concocted all kind of other reasons for denying these Sudanese families access to their community. How ever would they deal with the cultural changes they were about to encounter, asked one, not so bright, and particuarlly concerned resident? I mean, there's the normal flow of traffic, and the ability to locate and purchase items that are required. These people, never having dealt with these things would be overwhelmed by the "culture" of Australia. Yes, that's right, that was an actual argument, advanced by an actual woman. Now she might not be incorrect (though chances are avoiding being hit by a car driving according to traffic rules will be small potatotes for a refugee family fleeing Sudan, a country beset by chronic civil-war and violence), what is inconcevable is that this was an excuse for keeping them out. Instead of feeling generous, or obliged to help ease the integration of these families, this woman opted to nominate such difficulties as a justification for denial.
Perhaps the residents of Tamworth would do well with a community lesson on the status of the Sudan, the things that these people are fleeing, and the things their country has endured. We all know that those that get out of such torn countries are not usually (or ever) the people most in need of help. Regardless, leaving your country in a time of war to become a refugee is certainly not a life opportunity most people hope for. To be turned away from a community so brutally is unaccaptable, when held both to standards of internatioanl law and standards of human sympathy.
Those who are in the know should be outraged.
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