Once again, the debate around asylum seekers has gained momentum, dividing Australians into two distinct camps.
There are those of us who have established some insight into the plight of people seeking asylum, the sheer hopelessness of their situations and the desperation required to flee family, friends and homeland in the name of survival.
Those of us, who were vehemently opposed to the Howard Governments oppressive regime and its human rights violations, know only too well that for the small minority arriving in Australia by boat, the majority are proven to be genuine refugees.
In times of fighting and civil unrest, there is no such thing as a front door to immigration, although some politicians would have us believe that there are offices on every street corner, just waiting to process applications.
Right now in Sri Lankan refugee camps there is talk of starvation, rape and genocide.
Boys as young as twelve years are taken away for questioning, never to return. For the small number of refugees who attempt the dangerous boat ride to countries such as Australia, countless others are left behind to suffer unspeakable atrocities.
This has little to do with the Rudd Government's soft approach and everything to do with global instability and war. I cannot speak for those people who stand firm in their belief that we should turn the boats away. But I can tell them that in actual fact, Australia accepts a disproportionately small number of asylum seekers given its population size. Perhaps the fear mongering and the rhetoric of the Howard era is still ringing in some people's ears, but for the record, we are not under attack from invasion. On the subject of asylum seekers, it was interesting to hear Victorian businessman John Elliot's stance on last weeks episode of Q&A.
His hard line philosophy simply fell away when challenged by a Sri Lankan woman in the audience.
Elliot went from ranting about the appropriate channels vis-a -vis 'the front door' to urging politicians to visit the Sri Lankan camps to help the refugees. It became clear to me through watching this episode that stereotypes can easily be broken down through the power of dialogue and exchange.
Had Elliot ever met a Sri Lankan born person before this forum?
And should any of the hardline politicians actually follow his suggestion to visit the camps, and see first hand what drives people into exile - would they inevitably rearrange their thinking?
Maybe all it takes to break down this us and them mentality, to actually prove that asylum seekers are real people, is human interaction. So the next time you are seated on the tram next to an Iraqi woman or the next time you jump into a cab with a Pakistani driver - ask them about their experience.
How did they get here? And why did they come?
And when was the last time someone made the hurtful mistake of assuming they were affiliated with terrorism? If we spent more time breaking down these absurd stereotypes and less time being ignorant, perhaps we might have a chance at empathy and understanding.
There are those of us who have established some insight into the plight of people seeking asylum, the sheer hopelessness of their situations and the desperation required to flee family, friends and homeland in the name of survival.
Those of us, who were vehemently opposed to the Howard Governments oppressive regime and its human rights violations, know only too well that for the small minority arriving in Australia by boat, the majority are proven to be genuine refugees.
In times of fighting and civil unrest, there is no such thing as a front door to immigration, although some politicians would have us believe that there are offices on every street corner, just waiting to process applications.
Right now in Sri Lankan refugee camps there is talk of starvation, rape and genocide.
Boys as young as twelve years are taken away for questioning, never to return. For the small number of refugees who attempt the dangerous boat ride to countries such as Australia, countless others are left behind to suffer unspeakable atrocities.
This has little to do with the Rudd Government's soft approach and everything to do with global instability and war. I cannot speak for those people who stand firm in their belief that we should turn the boats away. But I can tell them that in actual fact, Australia accepts a disproportionately small number of asylum seekers given its population size. Perhaps the fear mongering and the rhetoric of the Howard era is still ringing in some people's ears, but for the record, we are not under attack from invasion. On the subject of asylum seekers, it was interesting to hear Victorian businessman John Elliot's stance on last weeks episode of Q&A.
His hard line philosophy simply fell away when challenged by a Sri Lankan woman in the audience.
Elliot went from ranting about the appropriate channels vis-a -vis 'the front door' to urging politicians to visit the Sri Lankan camps to help the refugees. It became clear to me through watching this episode that stereotypes can easily be broken down through the power of dialogue and exchange.
Had Elliot ever met a Sri Lankan born person before this forum?
And should any of the hardline politicians actually follow his suggestion to visit the camps, and see first hand what drives people into exile - would they inevitably rearrange their thinking?
Maybe all it takes to break down this us and them mentality, to actually prove that asylum seekers are real people, is human interaction. So the next time you are seated on the tram next to an Iraqi woman or the next time you jump into a cab with a Pakistani driver - ask them about their experience.
How did they get here? And why did they come?
And when was the last time someone made the hurtful mistake of assuming they were affiliated with terrorism? If we spent more time breaking down these absurd stereotypes and less time being ignorant, perhaps we might have a chance at empathy and understanding.
At our core, we are more similar than we are different
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