Tony Abbott… Not my PM #2 – Stop the Boats

This is a new mini-series which will articulate the areas/reasons why I believe Tony Abbott is destroying Australia and is thus an unsuitable Prime Minister:

1. Federal budget 2014 
2. Stop the Boats / Refugees (this article)
3. Repeal the Carbon Tax
4. Higher Education Private Sector Unleashed
5. International Diplomacy Fail

Tony Abbott’s claim to fame is potentially his mantra “Stop the Boats”, which he repeatedly announced during the campaign period of Election 2013. Together with his minion Minister of Immigration, Scott Morrison, Tony Abbott introduced the secretive Operation Sovereign Borders military campaign, whereby the Navy is helping to secure our north-western maritime borders.

Australia’s recent history on the issue of refugees makes for an interesting study, particularly when you have a global perspective. When you consider our relatively low population and status as a developed nation, Australia stands out as a statistical anomaly in  reports on the response to refugees on an international level. The politicisation of the issue began under John Howard with the whole Tampa/children overboard incident of October 2001. In response, harsher legislation was introduced resulting in the Pacific Solution, which operated from 2001 – 2008.

What is problematic today with our policy on refugees is that we have a leader who is spreading and implementing his personal view on the issue, irregardless of whether it is the right thing to do. When I say the right thing, the fact that the High Court is deliberating on the legality of aspects of Operation Sovereign Borders plus you hear statements of concern issued out by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should make us all very worried. Tony Abbott as PM has forced our Navy to cooperate and maintain absolute silence on the operation under the guise of national security.

Tony Abbott applies his approach of enforcing his election mantra “Stop the boats” no matter what the cost. Well, since this is a live and current issue, we can see the political and human cost mounting. However, is Tony Abbott the kind of person to resolutely maintain these principles to the end? The secrecy does not help either – the fact that no independent (UN) body has the current ability to confirm and verify if the practices are legitimate according to the foundational Refugee Convention and international law. Of particular concern is the screening process, which was reported to be video interviews held on board the boat, where a limited number of questions were asked of the refugees to determine their status.

The Australian opinion article Making Refugee Rulings Quickly at Sea is a Bridge too Far summarises the plight of the questionable practice of screening refugees, let alone the other aspects that go beyond the actual screening. The whole issue of “refoulement” is also amplified by the current state of Sri Lanka, where the government has a historical record of persecuting the Tamils. The Australian government does it self no favours by increasing the level of certainty (from 10% to 50%) that a refugee’s life may be at danger or threatened. The UN and international law require a fair processing of claims with an independent third-party observer. How the Government (and Tony Abbott) can claim the practices are fair and within the bounds of international law is not for them to decide. Given the Government is responsible for implementing Operation Sovereign Borders, and all the plans that support it, any assessment issued by the same Government is simply propaganda and biased. Only an independent body can review and affirm that the practices, and the on-board screening process is legitimate or not.

Worse still, the blatant ignorance perpetuated and even encouraged at the highest levels of government, where our Immigration Minister has the gall to present Sri Lanka with boats, whilst ignoring the on-the-ground situation of persecution suggests the Australian Government is indeed guilty and complicit in encouraging the actions and policies of the Sir Lankan Government. Initially, the reporting of events was sensationalised by the language used – that our Government was involved in making people disappear – a concept only applied to dictatorship regimes.

In recent days, new stories have emerged where refugees have been exercising their rights to legal representation and have taken to suing the Government for damages incurred from their imprisonment and lengthy stay. Government in Fight Over Refugee Injury Claims is a Fairfax news report which discusses this particular issue. The sad thing is that the Government attempts to pass the buck and point the finger at the private operators who were contracted to run the detention facilities on Christmas Island and other locations for refugee processing. Unfortunately, the issue of refugees suing the Government/ operators for damages is not new, having been around for the last decade or so. What we do see emerge is that the Tony Abbott Government has characteristically sharpened its teeth by pointing the finger of negligence and incompetency to the private enterprises who were engaged and paid to deliver the services. This line of argument is shallow and highlights the concerning short-term political goals that drive the Coalition. Ultimately, the chain of responsibility cannot be passed off by the Government down to its implementation partners – the Government still wears ultimate accountability and responsibility for the living conditions of refugees across the various processing centres. That the Government and Immigration Department are so bereft of leadership and vision is concerning – that the influence of Tony Abbott as PM can install his same boorishness and arrogance across an entire party, Government and ministry is incredibly sad. It is possible that this is also a reflection of the state of our national political system – that group think amongst the major parties has finally turned a corner in creating politicians driven by self-interest more than being effective and true leaders of the future.

The complete absurdity of Government policy is highlighted by independent external global observations made by the like of UNHCR that the global refugee issue requires more meaningful action and processes unlike what the Australian local debate entails. The reality and simplicity of Australia’s approach to using other island nations as locations for processing people of refugee status, as well as the detainment procedures utilised on the high sea are all out of alignment with the way all other nations manage the inflow of refugees. If the international community were to indict and demand Australia, as a signatory to the UN declarations and principles, uphold their obligations, the Abbott Government would need to develop a more robust and long-term workable solution.

Indeed, studies have been conducted over the years to fully research and understand the root causes behind global refugees – nations at war internally as well as with each other are incredibly destructive to society and are a huge cause for displacing whole people groups. The Islamic genocides of people in Africa and the Middle East also suggest there is no worldly solution to what ultimately is a matter of religion and faith for some.