AUSTRALIA FINDS ANOTHER SLAVE NATION TO WIPE ITS DIRTY ARSE

SCOOP NZ - Press Release: Project SafeCom – 09 may 2011

"The Gillard government's plans to reopen a refugee processing centre on Manus Island carries the dirty stench of colonial days, when the King used slaves or menial staff to wipe its backside, after East Timor, however impoverished, declined in dignity and decency to do Australia's bidding to rid itself of its United Nations obligations to boat arrivals," WA Human Rights group Project SafeCom said this morning.

"The Gillard government's decision is not just deeply objectionable because it flaunts Australia's unambiguous human rights and UN Convention obligations to the "pissy little number" of 27,000 boat arrivals in 35 years, but it also smacks of craven opportunism after the Prime Minister's adamant assurances that offloading responsibilities to places like Nauru and Manus Island would not happen under her government." spokesman Jack H Smit said.

"There is no doubt that the Immigration Minister will soon trot out spin, smoke and mirrors about "the Bali Process", about the need for "regional processing", but to call the Manus Island solution a "regional processing facility" is a sickening joke, too sick to even contemplate as a factuality. PNG will no doubt fall for the lure of the "fat brown paper bags of cash" that come with the deal - while East Timor's dignity and decency that accompanied its rejection of Australia's plans stands in stark contrast with this."

"The Gillard government is once more showing how its chasm of moral vacuousness is at the foundation of Labor's policy making; it is showing itself too morally bankrupt to counter Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison's howls and screams whenever a boat arrives, with clear and frank statements that "a Labor government will let the boats land conform to Australia's obligations under the UN Convention, and as a matter of refugee justice and decency"."

"Abbott and Morrison, and before them John Howard, have set the dominant discourse around Australia since Howard's 2001 Tampa victory, and Labor has lacked the guts, the moral fortitude and the political courage to counter their political baiting. Labor is broke and it deserves the race to the bottom of voter concerns it seems to seek."

"Assuming that sooner or later Tony Abbott will be dumped if he keeps overreaching on his baiting and spin, a Liberal government led by Malcolm Turnbull and Joe Hockey where the Greens control the balance of power, will be a better solution than any Labor government, also for asylum seekers, whether it's run by Gillard or anyone else. Labor has descended to a party of spin, focus groups and reactionary responses to the polls. It deserves to be razed at the next election."

** Media Release - Friday May 6, 2011 8:30am WST