Jo Vallentine writes: Rebekah Holt is stating the bleeding apparent — i.e. that Australia’s immigration coverage wants a significant overhaul. It’s merciless. It’s demeaning to these instantly concerned and upsetting to these watching the federal government “out-Dutton Dutton”.
The federal government, the opposition and all Australians ought to grasp that the trickle of individuals arriving by boat, looking for asylum, is nothing in comparison with what we are able to count on sooner or later. The local weather disaster will see tens of millions of individuals displaced, on the lookout for a secure place to dwell. 1000’s will attempt to get to Australia, though we’ve climate-induced challenges right here too.
We ought to be waiting for develop insurance policies that may handle enormous influxes of individuals escaping from their drowned dwelling international locations. We ought to be practising generosity proper now in order that our communities can prepared themselves to assist individuals in dire straits.
Angela H. Smith writes: Clare O’Neil has proudly declared that Dutton by no means wrote immigration detention legal guidelines as powerful because the Labor authorities. Her authorities has criminalised non-citizens who breach visa situations after being launched from detention and has launched a invoice that’s extra draconian and punitive than Dutton would have dreamt up in his wildest border-cop imaginings.
The federal government’s most up-to-date proposed laws offers obligatory jail phrases for individuals who don’t cooperate with their very own deportation and offers the minister a Trumpian-style energy to ban residents from complete international locations from making use of for a visa to return to Australia.
The Labor authorities is trashing the lives and human rights of asylum seekers and refugees in its political maneuvering to exhibit that it’s more durable on border safety than Dutton and co.
Joanna Mendelssohn writes: Esther Anatolitis’ wonderful article gave me a craving for occasions previous on ABC TV. As soon as we had witty documentary collection’ — The Shock of the New and The Artwork of Australia — speaking about artwork in a method that instantly engaged with audiences with out condescension. Later, Hannah Gadsby gave Australian artwork her personal piercingly clever spin in Hannah Gadsby’s Oz (comedy’s acquire has been artwork historical past’s loss). Andrew Frost’s The Artwork Life was capable of each clarify and take the piss out of up to date artwork.
And now? When the ABC deigns to note the humanities the data is normally stale and/or a regurgitated media launch — except it’s an excessively reverential documentary, or extra seemingly, an import.
But Australia-wide, the precise arts scene — exhibitions, performances, establishments — entice extra individuals than ever earlier than.
There are different points that deserve public scrutiny. The lengthy tail of Howard et al’s assault on the humanities and universities has led to the discount (and in some circumstances elimination) of fields of arts scholarship in some universities.
There may be the extra drawback of sophistication discrimination. The standard method for artists/musicians/writers from working-class households to realize skilled training by way of educating scholarships was killed off years in the past. Solely these from prosperous households can now afford to think about a profession within the arts.
