We are told that Australia is the “blessed country”. A country where our most appealing asset is our multicultural community and diverse society. In our anthem, we sing: “for those who come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share”. Ironically, this line is in the second verse, which most people barely ever sing. Perhaps this reveals the true attitude Australia has towards asylum seekers. People who flee from countries which are oppressing them, escaping for their lives. Australia’s inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and the mandatory detention policy means that asylum seekers are locked in a detention centre until they are processed, which can take years.
In recent events, Australia’s asylum seeker policies have been heavily criticised
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So instead of locking them up we should start promoting peace and welcome, instead of ironically raging terror over those who run because of terrors. We need to look at the roots of our problem, and improve our society as a whole.
These people that are referred to as “illegal”, are humans too. They do not, in any way, deserve to die. And that’s why our government proposing the law to extend the time a person can be held in poorly maintained detention centres with cold-hearted treatment, is absurd. The UN Human Rights review on Australia’s asylum seeker policy, was definitely agreeable. Sure, Malcolm Turnbull stated that he was actually "concerned" about conditions within the offshore processing network,”
But I see no change occurring anytime soon.
If we look at Japan, one of the safest countries in the world, we would notice a few things. They encourage tolerance and consideration of others. And they support non-confrontational approaches in solving problems. We start treating asylum seekers as a failure of society and sub humans who deserved to be stereotyped and oppressed, then we are no better than the reason asylum seekers seek refuge.
We need to change this cycle of violence and injustice, preventing it from further spiralling out of