I see the news that the government intends to pay people to house refugees in their homes, instead of keeping them in detention, was received with some excitement. I suppose lefties everywhere will be lining up for the privilege to welcome a refugee into their home and hearth.
No doubt David Marr and Annabel Crabb are clearing out their guest rooms as we speak.
This also explains why we haven’t heard much from Immigration Minister Chris Bowen. He’s been too busy shampooing (a Hindi word) the carpet and putting out the welcome rug. Not that the welcome rug hasn’t already been given a good airing with the government’s refugee welcome pack.
That’s the welcome pack that refugees receive upon arrival to our globally-warmed shores. The ‘Welcome Pack’ is a cornucopia of western delights: ipods, ray-bans, nikes, suitably themed t-shirts, a plasma TV the envy of NASA and a free connection to the NBN*.
(* booby prize)
Nonetheless, there could be problems. What if a refugee’s billet is somewhere other than the abode of a political or media elitist? Will there be ‘refuge’ envy?
Mustafa: ‘I got a Greenie in Paddington’
Mohammed; ‘Curses, I’m stuck in Lakemba with losers from Lebanon’.
In detention centres, detainees are supplied with cigarettes. Given that the stipend offered by the government is $300, that doesn’t leave much left for room and board.
If cigarettes aren’t provided by the host householder, do the refugees climb on the roof and set the house alight?
These are honest questions.
Given that most refugees today are Muslim, does this mean that the host householder need make his home ‘Islam friendly’?
Ditch the pornos, stop drinking grog and tell the daughter to cover up? Of course more serious is the issue of diet. Does a recipient of this proposed stipend have to guarantee that all food will be halal?
These are important questions.
Which leads me to one conclusion.
This hair-brained scheme, given that our current influx of ‘refugees’ is of the Muslim faith, the only suitable hosts Australia can provide are Muslims.
Perhaps this should be called ‘Sponsor Your Muslim Cousins’. Which means, as a government, we can’t give the dole to new arrivals, but if we give it to you to give to them, well, we’ve achieved our aim.
It’s an Open Door policy no matter how much Labor and the Greens deny it.
Iain Hall's SANDPIT 
What a shambles.
We need an election. Now.
So what happens when these individuals billeted with ordinary citizens lose their appeals? Are they just going to meekly make themselves available for removal? Or are they going to appeal to their hosts to help them disappear into the community?
AND Andrew Bolt tells his bloggers he will only take in Dutch refugees! arf-arf—-
Iain! You are starting to sound like Pauline Hanson in drag.
Its not my post Richard
GD—–should have known—–that post was too racist for your style of comment. Sorry Iain.
Yes, GD, we all know how much you despise refugees, especially “muslim” ones. Apart from that, what’s your point? I’m not seeing any analysis in this post, only mockery, derision and extreme prejudice.
It might surprise you to know many of us advocates have actually been hosting people coming out of detention for some years. (in my case 11) The folks to be transitioned to community would be on a resettlement pathway and expected, based on initial case worker assessments, to be successful in their refugee claims. I am Jewish and have made great friends with a number of Muslim men & women that I have met while they were in detention. They are just like anyone else and few are particularly devout. It will be quite easy to request a non smoker or ask people not to smoke in the house for the few weeks they will be accommodated. Part of the joy of hosting someone is learning about them & their customs, especially food. It is great fun learning to cook new dishes and really not difficult to incorporate some Hallal dishes into a families meals. Actually MOST of what YOU currently eat would be Hallal anyway! Shock horror. Although probably easier for me as I don’t eat pork or shellfish anyway. The hundreds of folks putting their hands up to get involved with this program will certainly be people for whom tolerance is easy and they will be the sort happy to make some adjustments to something as trivial as meals to assist a person trying to resettle. In many cases the people ideally suited to hosting will have a self contained flat or annex so people can prepare their own foods. You can demonize and stereotype all you want but it is really not that scary. They are just ordinary people. even the Muslim ones. PS it is the detention environment that creates the distress and aggression. People who are treated in a just and decent manner return that. Everyone I have known (hundreds over the years) has been an exceedingly polite and lovely house guest. And not one has ever asked me not to have or consume alcohol while they have visited my home or stayed. Indeed the only complaint I have is the propensity to make and serve exceedingly milky tea. yuck : )
alienation….are you a ‘lefty’ or are you just an ordinary decent person, that thinks labels are what you see on supermarket shelves?
great post by the way.
Thanks, alienation for your calm and considered reply to my sarcastic post. It’s most helpful to hear another side to the debate. I also appreciate that you don’t bandy around the ‘racist’ word as others do whenever an opinion disagreeing with the current immigration policy is expressed.
However, while your experiences are encouraging, they are not the complete picture. This latest proposal to billet refugees in the community is not about a transitional stage in the refugee’s path to citizenship, it is a temporary stop-gap to alleviate the exorbitant costs of housing asylum seekers in detention centres.
It’s cheaper to pay someone three hundred bucks to look after a refugee while they are being assessed than it is to pay Serco to do it.
Once an asylum seeker is assessed successfully they are awarded community housing. And here again is the problem. Community housing is at a premium, with many needy citizens already on the waiting list. Unfortunately it’s easier to leave those needy citizens on the list, while catering to the ever-increasing numbers of ‘asylum seekers’.
Labor has lost control of our borders and is scuffling to find solutions that are palatable to both the Greens and the majority of Australians.