Morrison defends mob who oppose carbon tax, boats
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday March 31, 2011
THE Opposition immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, has rallied to the defence of "the mob" who oppose the carbon tax and boat arrivals and said "sound-minded" Australians were being demonised by Labor as extremists.In a National Press Club address, he hit back at race-baiting claims, and said the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, "needs to stop insulting Australians for disagreeing with her".Reviving a theme from his election blog last August, Mr Morrison said "the mob" raised families, paid taxes and the Liberals would stay faithful to them because they were the same people as Menzies' forgotten people and Howard's battlers.Since the last election, however, the extremist tag has also caused ructions within the Liberal Party, particularly after the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, appeared beside offensive posters at a rally opposing the carbon tax; and Mr Morrison made comments on talkback radio about asylum seeker funerals.Questions about "the moral burden" of decisions in the immigration debate should also be applied to the government's policies, Mr Morrison said yesterday."What we are seeing in the absolute mess and misery of our detention network - of those who are drowning at sea, or crashing against rocks at Christmas Island, or those who are wasting in camps as group after group come ... I don't accept that as a morally acceptable outcome," he said.Another boat, carrying 37 asylum seekers, was intercepted yesterday and will be taken to Christmas Island, the first since riots this month.Refugee advocates said yesterday a man held at the Curtin detention centre was in hospital after being cut down from a tree after trying to hang himself.A 20-year-old Afghan man took his life at the same centre on Monday, and another 20-year-old Afghan committed suicide at the Scherger centre in Queensland a fortnight ago.A mental health adviser, Professor Louise Newman, has warned of "suicide clusters" in the closed environment of the detention centres and has asked the Immigration Department to review its policy. The government has said the deaths were tragic and would be investigated.Linda Briskman, who holds the chair of human rights at Curtin University in Perth, said mandatory detention had criminalised people seeking refuge and was causing despair.Refugee groups expressed concern that overcrowding at North West camp on Christmas Island, which was partly responsible for riots, was now occurring at mainland detention centres. About 300 men from Christmas Island arrived at the Curtin centre at the weekend.Ms Gillard said she was "determined we will have a mandatory detention system" and it was "the right thing" for Australia.Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Greens said asylum applications should be processed on the mainland because it was cheaper, easier and faster. "We have very vulnerable people locked up with very little access to information."She said the government should appoint a federal children's commissioner to advocate for unaccompanied children seeking asylum.
© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald
