asylum seekers

Crikey readers yesterday discussed news that there are still children living in Australia’s detention centres — despite claims to the contrary by Peter Dutton. Elsewhere, readers took a tilt at Australia’s supposed ‘free speech crisis’ which has somehow reared its head once again, and considered their next step in a post-Adani approval world. 

On the continued detention of children

Robert Edgerton writes: The fact this government was voted back in throws grave doubt over the morality of our nation. Surely the two-year-old born here is an Australian citizen. According to all reports both parents were contributing to the Biloela community and a majority of that community want the family returned, yet the entire family have been in detention for 12 months! Combine that with the ongoing saga of Manus and Nauru detention for up to six years. I almost wish there turns out to be a god if he or she could bring justice to this situation.

John Hall writes: We are living in a shameful period when our so-called democracy is teetering on the terminal stupidity of a government that terms it’s success as to how well they can use fear to strip away our rights and that of the already helpless and dispossessed. I have come to the conclusion that maybe it is time for some states to reconsider whether our federation is really working for the benefit of the people — after all the states actually have the primacy in the constitution and should really consider why the constitution continues in its failure to address human rights, including the right to privacy and basic human decency.

On the ‘free speech crisis’

Jim Feehely writes: It is pretty clear that the culture war being waged by the right includes the right to be an arrogant, ignorant and offensive arsehole.  That says everything you need to know about the “utopia” imagined by the right.

On the implications of the Adani mine

R. Ambrose Raven writes: Adani should no longer be the focus; the focus needs to be the impunity that protects that mentality. As the ruling clique will never act to save anyone but itself, we need to drive a campaign of rejection of the mainstream and the rightist politicians. 

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