06 PM | 04 Aug

No Morals Morrison Attacks the UN Refugee Convention [#geekgirl] [#wtf]

[Image Credit: SBS]

[Image Credit: SBS]

[From this SBS article] “Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has launched an attack on the UN Refugee Convention, saying it was being used to defend “death voyages”… Lawyers for…157 asylum seekers say the group were told they would be forced to go to India in three orange lifeboats, which they would be taught to use.

Human Rights Law Centre Executive Director Hugh de Kretser told media on Monday that the group were “absolutely terrified” over the incident, which reportedly happened around mid-June.

“Australian government officers on board the customs vessel told the group they would be forced to go to India in three orange lifeboats dropped in the ocean somewhere off the coast of India,” he said.

Mr de Kretser said he had been told that nine adults and two children were taken away from the rest of the group on July 14, when they were shown the lifeboats and told they would be put in them.

He said all instructions were given in English, which none of the asylum seekers are fluent in. Only a handful speak poor English.

“Whatever your personal views are on politics and refugee policy, this move was an affront to human decency,” he said.

Mr de Kretser also said the group were only allowed to change their clothes 11 days after being brought onto the Customs vessel, where they were kept in three windowless rooms 22 hours a day.”

 

12 PM | 28 Jul

“Hockey tells Kiwis there is no economic crisis in Australia..” [#geekgirl]

[From SBS] “Joe Hockey has told New Zealand that there is no crisis in the Australian economy, nor is it in trouble.

The treasurer also made no mention of the “budget emergency” he and his government referred to when justifying their unpopular budget to Australians.

Instead, Mr Hockey reassured Kiwis that their second biggest trading partner is benefiting from 23 years of consecutive economic growth.

“The Australian economy is not in trouble,” he told New Zealand political current affairs show The Nation on Saturday.

Mr Hockey also denied drastic reforms to Australian healthcare, education and taxes were about ideological change.

He said his government’s reforms were about continuing growth and stimulating other parts of the economy.

“There’s no crisis at all in the Australian economy,” the treasurer said.

“The fact is you need to move on the budget to fix it now, and you need to undertake structural reform to structure the economy in the years ahead.”

Despite the changes, New Zealand has nothing to worry about in terms of its trading partnership with Australia, he said.”