Finally someone speaks the truth about Asylum seekers, pointing out real statistics of boat people v's those arriving by plane and highlights the racial prejudice which comes with the discussion.
ABC.net: 07/02/12 - Samantha Hawley
A former head of the Immigration Department says Tony Abbott's plan to reopen the refugee detention centre on Nauru would be foolish and futile.
During a speech in Sydney last night, John Menadue, a former Immigration Department secretary and a former head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, launched a scathing attack on the Coalition's immigration policies.
He said re-opening the detention centre on Nauru would be too expensive.
"Under the Howard government it didn't work, and will not work again in the future," he said.
"It's just futile in my view to continue ... with one-liners and slogans about Nauru.
"The Opposition has this phobia about boats. Seventy-six per cent of asylum seekers in the last decade came by air."
He also accused the Opposition's Immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, of generating xenophobia.
"Probably one of the most outrageous things I've heard from Scott Morrison recently - and it was last week - was when he drew attention to infectious diseases which asylum seekers were bringing to this country," he said.
"I don't know that I've ever seen or heard, certainly for a long time, anything as disgraceful as that sort of proposition, that somehow by being generous and accommodating to asylum seekers that they're bringing diseases to this country.
"That is a disgraceful proposition and Scott Morrison should withdraw it."
AM approached Mr Morrison for a response but he was not available.
But in a statement he accused Mr Menadue of being "in denial" and running his own personal political agenda.
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