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Uninvited and unwelcome

By Des Moore - posted Wednesday, 16 August 2006


Indonesia could not sensibly act with military force against us, but it could do plenty to damage us politically and practically. Why on earth would we want to invite that outcome?

More even than wantonly ranging ourselves against a central Indonesian national interest is acting against a central Australian national interest: that Indonesia not break up.

The Balkanisation of Indonesia would complicate disastrously our foreign and defence policies, and give real and sinister meaning to the easy phrase arc of instability right across our main egress to Asia and the Middle East and Europe.

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Despite all the foregoing obvious realities, the ALP and some Government members resort from a mixture of poor motives to characterising the Government as appeasers of Indonesia. That is nonsense.

Certainly, if Indonesia's policies were as much against our national interests as Hitler's were, Australia's inaction would merit the charge of appeasement. But that is not the case.

What the Government's Pacific Solution is doing is to prevent, where possible, West Papuans (and others) from gaining uninvited and unwelcome entry to Australia - this not because they are being acted against in their country for what they are, like Hitler persecuting the Jews simply for being Jews, but because they are acting outside the law, both Indonesian and Australian.

And above all because they seek to come to persuade Australia and Australians to add their considerable weight to the taking on of Indonesia.

The West Papuans are not just economic refugees. They arrive here not just to vastly better their standard of living at an unearned stroke but to better their political cause in the land they have deserted.

And to accomplish that nefarious aim by working on the bleeding hearts, but not the rational minds, of well-meaning but misguided and soft-centred Australians.

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And by working too on those who will seize on any stick with which to beat the Government, even though they will be beating Australia too.

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First published in The Courier-Mail on August 15, 2006 as part of a debate with Paul Syvret on the dumping of the proposed tough new immigation laws.



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About the Author

Des Moore is Director, Institute for Private Enterprise and a former Deputy Secretary, Treasury. He authored Schooling Victorians, 1992, Institute of Public Affairs as part of the Project Victoria series which contributed to the educational and other reforms instituted by the Kennett Government. The views are his own.

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