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Calling Aussie friends
Aug. 10th, 2013 05:49 pmBefore I sign petitions, I like to fact-check them (scary thought, I know). In this case, I'm delegating, as I have politically-knowledgeable Aussie friends who will know the answer in far more depth than 10 minutes with Google is likely to get me.
Here's the petition in question.
The email drawing my attention to it said
The Prime Minister of Australia has just guaranteed that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) refugees, who arrive by boat, will be sent to Papua New Guinea – where being gay could get you 14 years in jail.
...
Australia is one of the few countries in the region that accepts LGBT people. It has always been a safe haven for refugees fleeing persecution. Every LGBT person who arrives by boat will have little choice but to lie about who they are to avoid being sent home.
...
The full policy states that all people arriving by boat to seek asylum will be relocated to Papua New Guinea where their refugee claims will be assessed, and only then allowed to settle.
Legal experts have already denounced the plan for breaching international law.
...
They also provide links, but I'm not sufficiently familiar with the Australian press to know which of these I should regard as reliable.
UN refugee agency raises more concerns over Labor's PNG solution – The Guardian, 26 July 2013
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/26/united-nations-agency-asylum-policy
Will LGBTI asylum seekers be at risk in Papua New Guinea? – Amnesty International, 5 August
http://www.amnesty.org.au/refugees
You've been misled on boat people: here are the facts – Sydney Morning Herald, 18 July
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/youve-been-misled-on-boat-people-here-are-the-facts
Coalition wants military led campaign against people smugglers – ABC, 25 July 2013
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-25/coalition-wants-military-led-campaign-against-people-smugglers
How to break the people smugglers real business model – Inside Story, 25 July 2013
http://www.inside.org.au/how-to-break-the-people-smugglers-real-business-model
More than a legal issue, PNG plan challenges core principles – Sydney Morning Herald, 23 July 2013
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/more-than-a-legal-issue-png-plan-challenges-core-principles
Australia's asylum debate viewed from Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp – The Guardian, 7 August
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/07/refugee-camp-australia-dadaab
Here's the petition in question.
The email drawing my attention to it said
The Prime Minister of Australia has just guaranteed that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) refugees, who arrive by boat, will be sent to Papua New Guinea – where being gay could get you 14 years in jail.
...
Australia is one of the few countries in the region that accepts LGBT people. It has always been a safe haven for refugees fleeing persecution. Every LGBT person who arrives by boat will have little choice but to lie about who they are to avoid being sent home.
...
The full policy states that all people arriving by boat to seek asylum will be relocated to Papua New Guinea where their refugee claims will be assessed, and only then allowed to settle.
Legal experts have already denounced the plan for breaching international law.
...
They also provide links, but I'm not sufficiently familiar with the Australian press to know which of these I should regard as reliable.
UN refugee agency raises more concerns over Labor's PNG solution – The Guardian, 26 July 2013
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/26/united-nations-agency-asylum-policy
Will LGBTI asylum seekers be at risk in Papua New Guinea? – Amnesty International, 5 August
http://www.amnesty.org.au/refugees
You've been misled on boat people: here are the facts – Sydney Morning Herald, 18 July
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/youve-been-misled-on-boat-people-here-are-the-facts
Coalition wants military led campaign against people smugglers – ABC, 25 July 2013
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-25/coalition-wants-military-led-campaign-against-people-smugglers
How to break the people smugglers real business model – Inside Story, 25 July 2013
http://www.inside.org.au/how-to-break-the-people-smugglers-real-business-model
More than a legal issue, PNG plan challenges core principles – Sydney Morning Herald, 23 July 2013
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/more-than-a-legal-issue-png-plan-challenges-core-principles
Australia's asylum debate viewed from Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp – The Guardian, 7 August
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/07/refugee-camp-australia-dadaab