Humanitarian Program not humanitarian
by TheRealists ~ June 24th, 2008
Australia’s Humanitarian Program brings about 13,000 refugees to Australia each year. But far from being humanitarian, it would be better described as a self-indulgent waste of taxpayers’ money.
No one can argue that there are not millions of people in the world today living in the most dire of circumstances, where violence and death are commonplace. No one can argue that we should stand idly by and let these people rot. Everyone agrees that we must show compassion.
But how much effort goes into determining the best way to show compassion?
The World Bank reports that there are almost 900 million people living in extreme poverty of less that $1 a day. Such levels of poverty mean that medical, sanitary and education services are unavailable and contribute to the spread of disease and conflict.
Current wisdom is that we should use scare resources to bring 13,000 of these people to Australia every year. This is about 0.0014% of the people living in extreme poverty. Or, in other words, if we continued in this fashion, all things being equal we’d have the extreme poverty problem licked in about 75,000 years. Pity the poor people waiting for aid.
This is not good enough.
The money spent on the humanitarian program would be better spent helping people in the countries that they live in. The costs involved in bringing one person into Australia could be used to support a whole village overseas.
The government is not unfamiliar with allocating taxpayers’ money in less than efficient means, but this is a matter of life and death. The money spent on bureaucracy and waste in the department of immigration would be better utilised by giving it to a non government organisation that have decades of experience helping the world’s poorest.
We’ve all seen the World Vision ads asking for child sponsorship. These ads invariably show a child that is suffering, or perhaps a schoolroom where a difference has been made.
What the ads don’t show are refugees boarding a 747 to fly to a foreign country whilst their countrymen starve; what they don’t show is a refugee receiving enough money in welfare payments to save the lives of tens of people in their homeland.
Such images would be repugnant and immoral. Yet we say we’re proud of our humanitarian program.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:05 am
As I see it, the world-wide refugee programme is a con-job.
Prior to WWII many Jews were able to emmigrate from the Reich but eventually it became impossible as many countries would not accept them. These Jews stayed behind and of course ended up dead.
After the war the Jews were more savvy and instituted the world-wide refugee programme so that next time they could make their escape.
And that’s what we have today, an escape plan for Jews masquarading as a refugee programme. Just so they can make clean getaway we have to put up with unwanted third-world immigration.
December 29th, 2008 at 5:08 am
Also if you look at it at a smaller local town level like whether Tamworth should have taken the risk to take 100 more refugees or whatever it was.
Even if Tamworth took in 100 a year that would only alleive 0.001% of the worldwide refugee problem but would have a significant negative impact on tamworth.
March 9th, 2009 at 6:57 am
If you look at the United Arab Emirates. They probably are more humane. They let in huge numbers of migrant workers. Half the population are poor indian workers. They are accused of poor treatment. In reality this is a step up for those indians. Im not suggesting we copy the UAE. It’s much more humane for all if you have temporary workers rather than giving the luck to the people who were lucky enough to be first to be chosen to immigrate to Australia.
As you say we let in a token number who do great damage to Australia and consume the world’s finite resources.
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
There has been Sudanese and African refugee problems in Toowoomba, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Mt Druitt, Auburn, Parramatta, St Albans, Noble Park, Flemington, Footscray, Adelaide, Balga, NorthBridge, Curtin University, Darwin.
Too many places to list. Problems included rape, murders, dangerous driving causing death, robbery and not understanding simple stealing.
February 26th, 2010 at 3:33 am
Неплохо придумали, отличная идея у вас.
March 14th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Не против, действительно хорошо сделано.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Отлично сделали, есть чему поучиться.