10/05/2024
It is very disappointing to see the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, resorting to the gutter politics of dredging Immigration policy into the sewer. Unfortunately this is exactly what he did in his years as Home Affairs Minister. He learnt his lessons from the master of that approach, John Winston Howard, our erstwhile Prime Minister.
After the dismantling of the abhorrent White Australia policy practiced by the White Anglo Celts whose forebears invaded this country (which has a very proud and significant Black history), migrants to this country could take some comfort from the bi-partisan approach that had been adopted by successive governments. Each government then practiced an approach that they termed “Productive Diversity”. Therefore the diversity was welcomed with an emphasis of contributing to the productive status of our Australian economy.
John Howard changed that stance to one of “We have had a single irrevocable view on this, and that is that we will defend our borders and we'll decide who comes to this country”. It is this type of policy position that gave rise to the spawning of such incredibly racist and xenophobic members of parliament as Ms Hanson and Fraser Anning etc.
Dutton has once again invoked the use of anti-immigrant rhetoric in his budget reply speech.
This will create another round of demi-gods of racism and xenophobia and Australia will be much the poorer for this.
Suresh Rajan
Comments