A place where Jo Ann Fitzgerald discusses every day topics. This can be local or international issues - from hot topics to Federal Elections. I am the family historian, so I talk some regarding family genealogy as well.
Neither major candidate was worth voting for -
Example: A Friend: Who'd you vote for?
Her Friend: Me. Got better chance of not ---king things up Sausage Sizzle wins it hands down.
This has got to be one of the most talked about topics on Facebook during the election today. Where wasn't or was a sausage sizzle. At 1pm the topic on Yahoo.com.au had the following caption.
A main headline on Yahoo.com.au's website at 1pm today.
Who's in Bed with Who confusion
This was another topic and question that people either took notice of or weren't clear on. Why didn't they make it so clear to the voters? Easy, confusion will make people vote for others by mistake or because they weren't clear enough. Even my husband confessed he sat there reading literature he was given about the parties and was still confused.
I know one of my highlights of the day was the online horse race that the AAP did.
Results
As at 9.20pm 7 September 2013. The voting according to ABC says the voting results are of the following:
This has been taken from the ABC website at http://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2013/results/
Now let's see how the winner handles their job.
I love to hear from my readers. Please leave me comments - What did I do right? What did I do wrong? Did I forget something? Did I overstep?
In this
week’s blog, the topic that people are concerned with is:
Immigration
I will be
tackling each of the main parties’ views on this topic. Further, I will put my
views on the topic and if I believe either of the main parties and their views.
Infrastructure
Liberal
Labor
All
below are taken from Liberal Party of Australia’s website
We will re-introduce the use of Temporary Protection
Visas (TPVs) to deny the people smugglers a product to sell.
Labor
expects that people who come to Australia enter and leave in accordance with their visa
conditions
Labor
is committed to the integrity of Australia’s visa programs, including student
visas.
We will immediately give new orders to the Navy to tackle
illegal boat arrivals and ‘turn back’ the boats where safe to do so.
Labor’s
immigration processes should be
underpinned by robust, efficient and transparent processes focused on prompt
and fair resolution of status for those seeking migration outcomes.
For the
Australian people to have confidence in the integrity of our migration system, Labor
will:
●employ
a risk-based approach to the management of immigration clients which
emphasises
robust,
efficient, consistent, independent and transparent processes which support
the prompt
resolution
of immigration status
●enforce
compliance with visa conditions that support the orderly processing of
migration to our
country
We will not allow illegal boat arrivals and people
smugglers to either determine Australia’s immigration programme, or undermine
the Australian people’s confidence in the programme.
We will deliver stronger borders – where the boats are
stopped – with tough and proven measures.
We will establish presumption against refugee status for
people who arrive on boats without identity papers.
Where asylum seekers deliberately discard their identity
documentation, we will deny them the benefit of doubt when determining their
refugee status.
We will establish and increase mandatory minimum jail
sentences for people smugglers.
We will ensure a minimum of 1,000 refugee places are
reserved for the most vulnerable refugees, in particular women at risk of
violence and harm.
Under
Labor’s policies, the presumption will be that unauthorised arrivals who enter for the purpose
of seeking asylum will, after appropriate checks
are undertaken, be granted bridging visas with work
rights
and means-tested access to migration assistance while the merits of their
applications are
assessed:
persons will be detained only if the need is established.
Labor’s
humane and risk-based immigration detention
policies and practices will be guided by key
immigration
detention values:
●to
support the integrity of Australia’s immigration program, three groups will
be subject to
mandatory
detention:
●all
unauthorised arrivals, for management of health, identity and security risks
to the community.
Labor
will strive to ensure this is for 90 days only
●unlawful
non-citizens who present proven unacceptable risks to the community
●unlawful
non-citizens who have been proven to persistently refuse to comply with their
visa
conditions
●children,
and where possible their families, will not be detained in an immigration
detention centre
(IDC)
and, wherever appropriate, will be released on a bridging visa
●detention
that is indefinite or otherwise arbitrary is not acceptable and the length
and conditions of
detention,
including the appropriateness of both the accommodation and the services
provided,
will be
subject to regular review
●detention
in an immigration detention centre is only to be used as a last resort and
for the shortest
practicable
time
●people
in detention will be treated fairly and reasonably within the law
●conditions
of detention will ensure the inherent dignity of the human person
The management of immigration detention
centres will remain with private sector management for the term of the
current contracts. A government evaluation to determine the future form of
detention
facility
and detention services management will be commenced no later than two years
prior to the
end of
the term of the current contracts. The evaluation process must take into
account the views of all stakeholders, including the relevant trade unions.
Recognising
the inequities of the policy of
charging immigration detainees a daily maintenance rate
while
in immigration detention, Labor has extinguished such detention debts and
will oppose any attempts to reinstate this practice. Labor supports existing
specialised and tailored government
services
for those most in need to connect new arrivals to Australian society and to
ensure that
there
is a seamless transition to mainstream services provided for by other levels
of government.
Labor
will review the financial and other assistance to people coming to Australia
under the Special
Humanitarian
Program to better address instances of financial hardship.
We will give priority in processing to offshore special
humanitarian visa applicants, over illegal boat arrivals.
We will ensure, offshore special humanitarian visa
applicants receive priority in obtaining permanent residency in Australia
over illegal boat arrivals.
Settlement support services include:
●orientation
courses for humanitarian entrants prior to arrival in Australia
●initial
intensive settlement assistance for humanitarian entrants for up to 12 months
after arrival
●specialised
case management services in circumstances where there are significant
barriers to
successful
settlement
●orientation
and referral services to build self-reliance in individuals and families and
foster
community
participation and development
●access
to the Translating and Interpreting Service.
English language tuition is an essential settlement
service and critical to the achievement of full social
and
economic participation. Labor will continue to provide:
●tailored
language programs within a settlement context combined with appropriate
support
through
childcare and case management
●opportunities
for eligible migrants to continue to learn English while developing
knowledge, skills
and
experience in the Australian workplace
●language
training framed to introduce new entrants to Australian workplace culture and
practices
delivered
through a range of formal and informal settings
Labor
recognises the importance of access to culturally
appropriate employment services in
achieving
full participation.
Re-constitute the Productivity Commission as the
Productivity and Sustainability Commission and task it with an annual review
of Australia’s infrastructure needs for short, medium and long term projected
population numbers.
We will restore the single case officer appeal process.
Labor
policy will improve the availability
and integration of Commonwealth-funded migrant and
settlement services. Labor will ensure settlement
service policies are:
●informed
by advice from the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council, the Settlement
Council of
Australia
and other key stakeholders and the community
●coordinated
in partnership with state and territory governments, local councils,
community
organisations
and service delivery providers
Information taken from other sources
We will boost rigorous offshore processing for illegal
arrivals so that bad behaviour has consequences.
As
part of the visa application process,
all applicants are checked against the Central Movement Alert List (CMAL), a
watch list contributed to by security and law enforcement agencies as well as
other Commonwealth agencies. CMAL continues to check clients throughout all
visa and travel stages.
In November 2011, the department deployed a
sophisticated statistical Risk Scoring System (RSS). The RSS deploys
statistical risk models built on departmental data holdings and can identify high
risk visa applications as they are
being processed through the Generic Visa Portal (GVP).
Since March 2011, DIAC has also been testing
risk scoring for inbound travellers. Data is collected at check-in at the overseas
airport. Statistical risk models then evaluate every traveller for
risk.
Multi-layered system
These are:
the
universal visa system (with
alert checking)
the
airline liaison officers (ALOs) network
the
Advance Passenger Processing system (APP), which operates at check-in
overseas
the
processing at Australian airports and seaports on arrival.
Leading-edge
technology is used to deliver these secure immigration processing systems.
Anyone wanting to travel to, enter or remain in Australia will undergo checks
at each of these layers, many of which are unobtrusive.
We will reserve 11,000 of the 13,750 refugee places each
year for offshore applicants.
The
government's approach to immigration detention is based on a set of values
that take a risk-based approach to immigration detention and seek a prompt
resolution of cases. The values commit the department to detention as a last
resort, to detention for the shortest practicable period and to the rejection
of indefinite or otherwise arbitrary detention.
The
government's seven key immigration detention values are:
Mandatory
detention is an essential component of strong border control.
To
support the integrity of Australia's immigration program, three groups
will be subject to mandatory detention:
all
unauthorised arrivals, for management of health, identity and security
risks to the community
unlawful
non-citizens who present unacceptable risks to the community and
unlawful
non-citizens who have repeatedly refused to comply with their visa
conditions.
Children,
including juvenile foreign fishers and, where possible, their families,
will not be detained in an immigration detention centre.
Detention
that is indefinite or otherwise arbitrary is not acceptable and the
length and conditions of detention, including the appropriateness of
both the accommodation and the services provided, would be subject to
regular review.
Detention
in immigration detention centres is only to be used as a last resort and
for the shortest practicable time.
People in
detention will be treated fairly and reasonably within the law.
Conditions
of detention will ensure the inherent dignity of the human person.
No children in immigration detention centres
It
is government policy that children will not be held in immigration detention
centres.
While
there will be occasions when children will be accommodated in low-security
facilities within the immigration detention network, such as immigration
residential housing, immigration transit accommodation and community
detention, the priority will always be that children and their families will
be promptly accommodated in community detention.
This
allows children and their families to move about in the community and receive
support from non-government organisations and state welfare agencies, as
necessary.
This week’s topic
of immigration is something close to me as first I migrated from the US to
Australia in order to marry my husband. However, I knew English, had an
American Education and a few American degrees behind me, and never had any kind
of run in with any kind of law enforcement.
Then add to that,
my family’s history with migrating from Poland, Belgium, Denmark and Germany
and most of those were because of fear of being murdered. I do know all about
people needing to move from country to country in order to be able to be alive.
However, the
difference is that in all of these instances that I’ve mentioned above, we all
came into each country, took to see what was offered, decided to work hard and
stand by the rules of the new country including learning new languages in most
cases. We didn’t cause trouble and worked hard to make a life for our families.
What I’m seeing in
more and more of the people who migrate, is they get here and want their “new”
country to conform to THEM. They want the country who accepted them into
their society to change. Why? They came to this new place because they liked
how things operate and to be safe, so why would you want to change them?
Further, you can
tell by the way children, young adults and, in some cases, adults all act in
common places that they think they own the place. They don’t understand that
you must respect others and they will respect you. This is an English speaking
country, why don’t the new migrates do whatever they can to learn the language?
As for the politics
of each party, they are as bad as the other. I do have to give credit to Labor
because they offer free English lessons for easy integration into society;
however, they must get a message to any migrate that not everything here in
Australia is free. I teach at a few Learn Locals in IT, but I know from
speaking to others, that these people come into Australia and think by them
walking into any educational establishment they get it for free and that is for
BOTH parties.
As you can tell by
the table at the end of each parties view, that the years of people held in detention
are as bad as the other – both parties had high numbers in each. The mention of
stopping the boats and turning them back (as Tony has been saying), he doesn’t acknowledge
what happened when his predecessor, John Howard, had tried to do this – people died.
Labor’s policy is just as bad – keep them some place, or fly them home. At
least they will either stay in a prison like place or be taken back home and
they won’t drown.
I do understand
that, in some cases, you will need people who will be killed and people are
forcing them out of their homes and taking their food – then let these people
in. My ancestors had this happen to them, and I can see this point, but all
these other people that have extra money and pay to get in here the wrong way?
Nope, they belong away from here and hurt them in the pocketbook.
As for the truth?
I think they are
both full of crap. Each sounds like a great plan, but they will both fail.
People will come and the only way to stop them is by getting strict with the
countries they come from. My husband said they should attack the aid the
country these people come from and I agree. Hurt them in the pocket and they
will do something to stop it.
Labor’s policy
sounds more in depth, and Liberals are just too general. They need a bit more consistency…
Just look at all the gaps in the policies by looking at the grid above.
Debates
I have been watching the
Federal Election Debates to see what’s been said. I have to say, the first
debate Abbott won because he was very convincing, and the second Rudd won
because he made some really good points. The last, and third, one was a tie.
What was so interesting that someone asked about Australian land and how it
should be owned by Australian’s and not people from other countries – BOTH parties
have an answer like they didn’t understand what she was saying. Not good.
Further, in other issues, both parties were not convincing at all. Below is
from YouTube and the third debate.
Media Blackout and Commercials All I can say is thankfully we only have a few more days left before a media blackout and then the election! The commercials are just way over done. The other night I was watching TV (a bit of a novelty for me!) and in 2 commercial breaks there was only 2 non-political commercials in them. Shocked! I know I've heard of many people saying they are over this election already!
