17. Asylum Seekers

Hi. I am Greg and I want to grumble about asylum seekers. I won’t grumble about border protection and the race to see who can manage desperate people in the most inhumane way. That is beyond a simple grumble.

But while the public debate focuses on distant shores, right now there are around 4000 people in Adelaide who have come to Australia seeking asylum and who are living in our community on bridging visas or in community detention awaiting determination of their claims. However, under Federal government policy these people are prohibited from working and have to live on 89% of the already below-the-poverty line Newstart allowance. To add insult to injury, the state government seems to deem them ineligible for housing and a range of other community supports as this is seen as a Commonwealth responsibility, or because the HealthCard [which they are not eligible for] is the criteria for eligibility.

This exclusion has hugely detrimental impacts on those people’s mental health, sense of self and on their chances of finding a place in and contributing to the community (both immediately and should their application for asylum be successful). The risk is that desperate people will turn to anti-social ways to find sustenance and identity – as you would if you were living in overcrowded and temporary accommodation in a hostile environment. Or alternatively they arrive at the doors of already over-stretched charities to ask for a help – which is fine, but it is just another example of charities picking up the pieces of failed government policy.

It is time that government, both state and federal got beyond demonising asylum seekers and provided simple services to people who are really in need. And is it really too much that these people be allowed to work? They already face such daunting challenges they are unlikely to be competition for those already looking for work, and are perhaps better in award-paying work than in the informal economy. Given the current policy that no asylum seekers arriving by boat will be settled in Australia, there can be no argument that relaxing these restrictions will provide an incentive to others to come to Australia.

Such a change of policy is desperately need just to treat people in our community with some basic measure of dignity, and it can be done without any impact on our border security, our national identity or our ability to bully our nearest neighbours.

I am Greg, I am grumbling.

This Grumble can be heard online or by podcast at https://radio.adelaide.edu.au/gregs-grumbles-17/ 

First Broadcast: 26 November 2013