Aug. 20, 2010
"Stop the boats"

Updates: see below for a link to a post about this same topic on Nick's blog, a link to more raw numbers on overstayers vs. refugees arriving by boat, and a video by GetUp on this topic.

I don't often get political on here, but watching the Australian Liberal party trot out the "we will stop the boats" line, referring to trying to stop people seeking refugee status in Australia who arrive by boat, has annoyed me enough to write something about it.

The Liberal party have obviously seen the numbers. They know that people arriving on boats seeking refugee status are statistically insignificant. This is basically a cynical political stunt by that party, designed to prey on a deep-seated "rational racism" found in modern Australian culture. Essentially they are taking some of the most powerless and unfortunate people in the world, turning them into boogie men, and then telling the Australian population that they will protect us against them. Heck, I'm going to say it; it's just plain un-Australian!

Why?

  1. As a member state of the United Nations, we are shirking our obligations to the United Nations under international law. We derive huge benefits from being part of the United Nations and we should meet our obligations in return. "Stop the boats," is quite possibly illegal in that context. See this article for an example of UN HCR's reaction to Australia refusing entry to refugees in 2003.

  2. The number of people arriving by boat is statistically insignificant, especially when compared with:

    • The number of people arriving by air and staying here illegally.
    • The number of refugees arriving to other nations, to European nations for example.
    • The total population of Australia.

  3. Finally, and most damningly, Australia's political policy on refugees and immigration has no demonstrable effect on the numbers of people arriving regardless. The number of people arriving are determined by external factors (like hostilities in Afghanistan; a war in which Australia is involved). See this article for details and a thorough statistical analysis.

In other words, if we wanted to regulate refugee immigration to Australia more tightly (a desire of debatable value), then we shouldn't focus on boat people at all. In that case, the rational thing to do would be to focus on our contribution to situations outside of Australia that cause people to want to seek refugee status here, such as wars, disasters, etc. Focusing on "boat people" is irrational at best, and racist at worst.

I will never vote for a party who will capitalise so cynically on, and in doing so advocate, such an awful cultural trait as the racist reflex we are witnessing. Surely we are smarter than that, Australia? Surely we can see through this kind of hateful scaremongering?

Because of this, I will put the candidates of the liberal party very last on my ballot paper on the 21st August, 2010.

Update: Here are some useful links with statistics:

"Boat arrivals since 1976 by calendar year"

"Australian Prime Ministers Since 1901"

I hope you'll notice something deeply ironic when you look at these links. The year with the highest number of refugees arriving by boat is 2001, which was smack bang in the middle of the term of John Winston Howard of the Liberal party.

Update #2

After writing this I suddenly realised that I'd read a post on exactly the same topic on Nick's blog, and forgotten about it. He makes some great points, and has done much more in-depth research into the legality of this under international law. Check it out.

Also, Moose sent me a couple of great links:

Voting is tommorrow here in Australia. If you are reading this before the election, I hope you bear this issue, and the stances of the major parties, in mind when voting.

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