Can the Prime Minister run and hide? With this Opposition, probably. Still, the pursuit of the Prime Minister over the Oceanic Viking made, inter alia, for a rather more interesting Question Time yesterday than we’ve had in some months.
The Government’s line on the Oceanic Viking — expertly put by a cool and impressive Stephen Smith on ABC Radio this morning — is essentially sound. Australia assisted Indonesia to aid a stricken vessel in its waters. Those on board don’t get to pick and choose where they go having been rescued.
Nevertheless, various parties on the Left and the Right are hellbent on whipping this into a Tampa-esque crisis. And the Government is constrained by its own rhetoric from stating the obvious: this is essentially an Indonesian matter.
It’s a bit like all those questions about schools spending that Julia Gillard fielded earlier in the year, in which she had to answer for the bodies actually implementing the schools component of the stimulus package- state education authorities. But because this Government is all about “ending the blame game”, any reference to State bureaucrats stuffing up could never pass Gillard’s lips.
In the same way, you won’t hear Rudd declare that the people rescued by the Oceanic Viking are Indonesia’s responsibility, even when they are. Not when he is heavily dependent on “regional cooperation” to help keep the boats away.
This made for elaborate ducking and weaving in Question Time yesterday. Five times the Prime Minister was asked about what he knew about arrangements relating to the vessel. Five times he avoided the question, giving brief answers full of fudge like “the normal agency of the Australian government” and “I cannot recall each step in that sequence of events” and “there are diplomatic negotiations which occur between governments”.
“Tough but humane” eventually appeared, although a much-anticipated and — as always -– unprompted refusal to make any apology didn’t.
He tried to throw his pursuers off — first with a reference to the “dirt-digging” email , for which a question had been reserved for a Anthony Albanese comedy routine later. That didn’t work, despite Rudd blatantly defying the Speaker and continuing to discuss it after he was told to stay relevant. But, asked a fourth time, he succeeded, baiting the Opposition and particularly Philip Ruddock and Kevin Andrews into an angry exchange over the detention of children and children overboard.
Both Ruddock and Andrews rose to complain — quite how it is possible to reflect in any way adversely on Ruddock’s integrity in a way he failed to achieve during his time in office is one of the sublime mysteries of Australian public life, but that didn’t stop him remonstrating — as did a number of other Opposition figures.
It was in the ensuing uproar that Speaker Jenkins appeared to come close to doing his block, with a particularly extended version of his schoolteacher trick of staying silent until everyone notices and shuts up. The silence went on so long Christopher Pyne eventually and hesitantly ventured “are you going to speak?”
Things settled down after that. The Opposition switched to infrastructure and other matters. Albo got to do his comedy routine about the Opposition email on digging dirt, reprising his e-security routine from the Godwin Grech incident. The question had been scheduled for earlier but the outbreak of animosity occasioned by the asylum seeker questions prompted them to delay it. Christopher Pyne then asked Julia Gillard about education, prompting her to approach the Dispatch Box carrying only her pen, always a sign she’s about to bite. She didn’t disappoint, giving a brief but vintage performance full of swipes at The Australian, the lack of Coalition policy and Pyne’s “bellows and yaps”.
Jenny Macklin later rose and spoke, quite movingly, about the apology to the Forgotten Generation, supported by an emotional Steve Irons. The momentary imposition of genuine feeling briefly imposed a sense of civilized behaviour on the House, although it didn’t last too long.
What about Wilson, I hear you ask. Wilson had a quiet day by his standards, until the end. Irons asked Justine Elliot about the numbers of aged care places in Perth. She was three sentences into her answer when Wilson rose to declare “this is a question about supplying assistance and facilities to aged people with dementia. It is wrong for the minister to raise issues either of the past or, more particularly, to read a diatribe of expenditure that is not materialised. Give the old people a go!”
Needs no comment, really.
All the while this charade is going on, there’s human beings in the hot sun, suffering who knows what due to the stuff up of the Rudd Govt. I’ve lost count of where the kids are and how many there are. Little kids can’t cope with this sort of environment, and nor should they. It doesn’t take a child long to dehydrate and in cramped conditions, illnesses like gastroenteritis are a realistic threat. Rudd needs to have the b***s to do the adult and responsible thing and have these people come to Australia. If they’re found to be in real danger they stay, if not, they go home. What’s happening in Sri Lanka at this time is disgraceful, and yet nobody in authority has come out and accused the Sri Lankan govt of ethnic cleansing and/or genocide. It is disgraceful. I heard along the way that there’s a pregnant woman(could be more?) on board one of those vessels. Where’s Tony Abbott and his ‘right to life’ diatribe? He, like his mates are very selective in choosing whose lives they believe have a right to be.
In comparison to countries in Europe, the numbers who’ve arrived here this year,(and there’ll probably be more)are miniscule. The nonsense and hysteria is not a good or proud look by any in the Parliament, except for The Greens, and those brave souls on government and opposition benches who are showing any sort of leadership or justice or humanity. I feel ashamed!
It’s a fact that not many countries are signatories to the Migration or Refugee Act/s and that is probably why those persons seeking refuge come here. We probably get the better educated etc as they have the money to travel(doesn’t mean that they’re not in danger of death or worse) while the poverty stricken are left to rot in hell holes in other countries. A solution would be for all countries to take some responsiblity, such as Indonesia, India etc.
According to David Marr’s article in todays Sydney Morning Herald, there are many children in a ‘detention like’ environment on Christmas Island. Chris Evans insistence that no children are in detention is disingenous, as where they are, they don’t have the freedom to move around, play, go to school or live in a family like environment. Some don’t have parents, and they should be in foster care, not locked up, with their only way of getting out is if they’re accompanied by an official! That’s not what the Legislation says!That’s detention with another name. I demand, that all children live in the community while their parents claims or theirs if alone is assessed. I don’t want children restrained other than for their health and safety; the same as parents would undertake!(this should happen after health checks clear them of the need for isolation or intensive health care – in a hospital, not a detention centre – regardless of what it’s called?)
It’s interesting to note, that living in the community is the cheapest option while asylum seekers await the processing of their claim for asylum.
Cost of detention for one day on Christmas Island, as at 2007 figures is $1830
Cost of detention for one day in Villawood Detention Centre also at 2007 figures, is $238 – a huge difference!
‘ Wilson rose to declare “this is a question about supplying assistance and facilities to aged people with dementia. ‘
Surely he has a conflict of interest in commenting on dementia?
It’s effective repudiation by increments of the Refugee Convention coming at PM Rudd from one side, and the West Atlas oil spill undermining the case for $50B Gorgon development on Kimberley coming from another side, and the likely failure of CPRS crueling his poise at Copenhagen from another direction, and unconvincing case for a $43 billion NBN with Telstra ADSL via copper not half bad option, so what does Ruddy do …..
He defaults to his old ALP mates in the big developer sector in his speech last night, saying now the Feds (Arbib?) will be gatekeepers on those budget construction dollars, not the States. It’s NSW Inc on the national stage – the Libs were strangely correct in their predictions, Rudd is an extension of the NSW Right.
Speaking of which – can’t you justify any massive urban ‘planning’ budget boondoggle by applying a projection of 30 years in the future? I love a big Australia! Start planning for it now? As if. We might all be speaking Chinese or living underground in 30 years. We are one nasty swine flu DNA strain from a population of 3.5 million let alone 35 million?
In short I’m not buying.