Recently, I shared a Facebook post, that generated a response from a dear pal who holds quite different views from mine. It was the kind of situation that could have generated into a friendly, but non-productive argument, so instead, I put a lot of thought into a reply that could hopefully, further the conversation and maybe even come up with some useful ideas:
Link to the original post that I shared
Dear Friend
Thanks for your comment. It makes me realise that I would like this conversation to rise above the party political context – I am not sure that any of our recognised major political parties has much to brag about on the immigration front; and I think it all distracts from the real point of the dialogue; and that is how we, Australia, want to address the situation of displaced people who find their way to our shores.
To qualify the post that I shared, it just illustrates the way in which dollars can be misspent, and I don’t think any Australian party, major or minor, can plead ‘not guilty’ to that charge.
But, for a moment, can we just leave aside the ‘value for dollars spent’ argument – because this can result in a verbal ping-pong, which is distracting, confrontational, and ultimately: non productive.
Firstly, let me say, and I am sure you would agree, that we are ALL immigrants or the result of immigration to Australia during the last 200 years or so. The immigrants who were here before ALL of us most recently arrived, were of course the Australian Aborigines, who came a little earlier, about 40,000 years or so. For myself, I am a hotch potch of Irish-German, and my German-descended father was only a generation away from being put into a POW internment camp, instead of being free to enlist in the Australian Army and serve as an anti-aircraft gunner in the Middle East in WWII.
For myself, I grew up on a soldier settlement fruit block in the 50’s and 60’s, and when the ‘picker train’ (we still had a passenger train in those days) came to Robinvale, my Dad would go down to the railway station in his green International Harvester wooden tray truck, to pick up workers to harvest our crop.
At first, they were mostly Italians, then Greeks, and later on even some Dutch workers. At the end of the day when they had sat on the back verandah and eaten the hot meal my mother cooked for them, she would help them with their English lessons. These people helped to build and strengthen our community, which became their community; and the story continues over the decades. The same story, just with people from different nations: Vietnam, Tonga, and so on.
With every new group, the story was the same. At first they were vilified, teased, bullied at school, made the butt of racist jokes, etc. etc. And the descendants of the first racial groups to become established in the community were not averse to exercising their own racist jibes at the latest newcomers.
It is part of human nature to be afraid of the unknown, and no ethnic or cultural group is immune to this, white-skinned or otherwise. But once you get to know people better, and see below the surface, you realise that the superficial differences are just that, and the deeper values, like building a safe and productive community, which cares for its members in every way, are way more valuable than anything else!
And why is this so valuable?
Because this is the kind of community that survives, and thrives.
But, let’s get back to these so called terrorists, these illegal immigrants who seek safety on Australian shores – actually until proven otherwise, they are asylum seekers, which is a legitimate status!
And let’s say that a small percentage of these asylum-seekers, (perhaps we can exclude the children), are nutters, rapists, murderers, terrorists or crims of any ilk, (just like our EXISTING, over-whelmingly white population); does this not mean that MOST of them are genuinely fleeing intolerable situations to save themselves and their families to find somewhere safe to make a living and raise their children?
Most of them have NOT fled from white-collar lives with six-figure salaries, but from smaller agrarian style communities without the pressure of 1st world consumerism. Like all immigrants I have ever met in the last six decades, the things they value most are 1. Family, and 2. Education. Many recognised as professionals such as doctors, lawyers, architects in their country of origin undertake more menial tasks in their country of refuge to educate and assure a better future for their children.
You all know this to be true – you have met people like this! You have heard their stories first hand!
You also know that our major political parties will twist facts and say anything to earn our votes for the next 3 or 4 years in power. We of the older generation have seen all the major parties regularly do 180 degree turns on crucial issues when it suits the purpose of gaining more political power. Who are they serving here – themselves or the Australian people?
Experience has also illustrated to me the reality of well-meaning candidates who win office, then become corrupted by the party they adhere to, to the point where they become unrecognisable to the grass roots voters who supported them in the first place.
But, I digress.
Let’s get back to the post I shared. I will stand by that part of the post that says
“Australia could have ‘fed, clothed and housed’ all those it has imprisoned, insulted and tormented for $$$ per person per year. Refugees do NOT make up the ranks of the unemployed, after a couple of years. They work hard. Look at the honour boards in your children’s schools, and see the will to contribute and succeed, the commitment to education, and the work ethic of refugees reflected in their children.”
The rest of it takes us down the rabbit hole of who has made a bigger balls up, wasted the most money, blah, blah, blah, and takes all away from the more important discussion of ‘How can we best deal with this?’
Do we want to yammer on forever about who is the best political party, or do we actually want to take some individual responsibility and find a constructive way to build a plan that benefits all of those with positive intent?
I believe this can be done – but we need to change the conversation and move from confrontation to cooperation.
I have some ideas – what are yours!