All (Gazans) Are Welcome in Divided Australia!

Anyone who’s flown before knows the Oxygen Mask Rule. In the event of an emergency, you should put your mask on first before trying to help others. The reason is simple: If you fall unconscious, you’re of no good to anyone. The same with the police. A police officer has to look out for himself first, then his partner, then the public, because if he (or she) is incapacitated, they’re of no good to anyone. Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson states it very succinctly: “Clean up your room!” Simply put, if you can’t even clean up your own room, that is, taking care of your immediate environment, who the hell are you to give advice to the world on bigger, world-wide challenges? But yet, when it comes to looking after this country and its inhabitants, you know, prioritising the needs of our own countrymen over the needs of people of other countries, everything seems to be a bit topsy-turvy at the moment here in Australia. Of course, I’m referring to the debate over immigration and asylum seeking. This is obviously not just an Australian issue, but also happening in the US, as well as in the UK. Uncontrolled immigration is destroying the Western world, even if just from a social cohesion perspective.

The most recent debate here in Oz is from the Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton. According to the Guardian, “Peter Dutton says Australia should not accept Palestinians from Gaza due to ‘national security risk’”. Specifically, he said, “If people are coming in from that war zone and we’re uncertain about their identity or allegiances – Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation. I don’t think people should be coming in from that war zone at all at the moment. It’s not prudent to do so and I think it puts our national security at risk.” Fair enough. Remembering, Australia is already facing many other domestic issues.

There are so many people in Australia who need help right now, but yet, the Australian Government are prioritising letting more people into Australia, people from questionable places, just when many Australians can’t afford to pay the rent or put food on the table. It seems completely illogical, but yet if you call it out, you’re labelled racist.

Peter Dutton found out firsthand. Zali Steggall, one of the so-called Teal independents, recently commented on Peter Dutton’s Gazan visa ban telling him to “STOP BEING RACIST!”

Mike Burgess, head of the national security agency ASIO, who last week raised the terrorist threat level to ‘probable’, recently said that Palestinians voicing only “rhetorical” support for Hamas are “not a problem”, whereas the Coalition have stated they have a problem with anyone expressing support for Hamas.

So why are the Australian Government so eager to accept Gazan refugees when, despite there being at least some risk that individuals may be terrorist sympathisers, not to mention that so many Australians are struggling in their own country? Well, this is just one thought, I’m not saying it’s the only reason, but immigration minister Tony Burke’s electorate of Watson has the second largest Muslim community of any seat in the country. This week a Lakemba doctor Ziad Basyouny, who was born in Egypt and came here in 2004, announced he will run against Burke in the next election. Obviously, it’s in the political interests of Labor to keep Muslim people on side, so of course, they’re trying to show they’re helping regular Gazan people by letting them come to Australia, societal issues be damned!

Now of course, I’m not saying we should never help people, but shouldn’t the focus be on helping Australian residents first? If everything was going well in Australia, if everyone had secure accommodation, if everyone had plenty of food on the table, if everyone had a job if they wanted it, then of course, we could offer help to some of these people less fortunate than us around the world. Although, it should be asked, how do we prioritise them? Is it first in, best dressed? Is it who’s considered most persecuted? How would we determine this? But I just find it funny, while Australia people are sleeping in parks because they can’t find a house to rent, we’re prioritising housing asylum seekers who often have no connection with Australia whatsoever, and who Australia is not responsible for in any way. It’s not like we’re the one’s doing the persecuting. But if you question this, if you disagree with mass immigration during a cost of living crisis, you’re labelled abhorrent and racist! What a topsy-turvy state of affairs.

And no, I’m not against immigration. Controlled, legal immigration is a great thing, but just accepting anybody from around the world, importing people who often do not share the same values that we do, is a recipe for a social cohesion disaster. Australian politicians don’t get elected by Gazan people. They get elected by Australian citizens. So how about they start focusing on us instead of importing the world’s problems.

MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn