It doesn't add up Tony

Abbott has tried to buy Wilke with a billion dollars. That's from the man who claims to stand for economic stability, not wasting money blah blah blah. Now I am not saying that hospital care in Hobart doesn't need funding. But for ***k's sake, a billion dollars on the table before any costing was done, any health professionals consulted, any thought on non-hospital care around Tasmania... need I go on? Not to harp on it, but one final point  - all Abbott would have bought was a number, one closer to 76, not a guarantee that Wilke would support any of his racist, homophobic, fear mongering, climate sceptic policies -  doesn't sound like a smart spend of one billion dollars to me...

None of this is to say I love the other dudes, but I am really tired of Abbott and in fact the Coalition, continuing to play irresponsible point scoring games presuming that the voting public will all just stand by and cop it.

(image credit to David Jackmanson, ta for sharing)

Temporary Insanity

I have been putting off writing this blog because i really don't want to give Abbott and his shit ideas any more volume. But people have been asking me about temporary protection visas (TPVs), what it all means and why the fuss...

well, essentially its crap and has been proven to cause mental anguish, exacerbate trauma and most people who were given TPVs in the past were eventually granted full protection to remain in Australia permanently. It involves assessing an asylum seeker, finding that they meet the criteria of being a refugee but then suggesting, just in case things get better in your country of origin we will only give you a 3 year visa and at that point, we'll re-assess to check whether you are still a refugee WTF ?!?!?!

TPVs were introduced in 1999 under Howard. Psychologists, doctors, experts, refugees and Australians who cared campaigned hard and they were abolished in 2008 by the Rudd Government.

The people I knew on TPVs told me they couldn't enrol in a degree as they may not be around to finish it, they were hard to employ because they couldn't guarantee how long they would be in the country, they found it very hard to start relationships because there was every possibility they would be removed from Australia. They were living their lives in limbo, feeling insecure, unsafe, finding it hard to have hope and not trusting of Australian authorities. 

Frighteningly these people were trapped -  many were men who had made the dangerous journey here by sea -  they were not entitled to apply for their family to be reunited with them in Australia and they had no rights to re-enter Australia if they left. So we saw young children and wives commonly separated from their father / husband. And now Abbott, who is apparently a man of faith, of family values, who believes in the "Aussie spirit" is suggesting this is a good way to treat people. ABSURD

more info

Check out a fantastic film, Molly and Mabarek - set in Young when the abbatoir there was open and when Afghan refugees found a real home.