They just keep coming…
Andrew Bolt
My goodness, but didn’t the people smugglers learn fast that Kevin Rudd was now in charge?
ANOTHER boat carrying suspected asylum-seekers has made it to Australian waters… The boat is the fifth to make it to Australian waters in recent months.
This is fast becoming a trend, not a coincidence.
*We said it here before: people who pass through 2 or 3 friendly countries and tear up their papers before arriving in Australia are not refugees, they are not asylum seekers and they’re not migrants: they are invaders.
The responsibility of the government is to intern them and to repatriate them at the first opportunity. What will the KRudd government do to keep Australia safe?
Here’s a hint:
 “Detention traumatises refugees:” report
Read it and weep!
* From the University of NSW, of course…
Prolonged mandatory detention and fears about the danger loved ones face back home have a long-term negative effect on refugees, new research shows.
The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) will on Friday launch two reports detailing the effects of trauma, mandatory detention and temporary protection visas on a group of refugees from Iraq .
Researchers from the University of NSW and the Centre for Population Mental Health Research studied almost 700 Mandaeans, a persecuted religious minority group from Iraq and Iran , in 2003, 2006 and 2007.
They found levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among the group was ten times that of the normal population while the rate of clinical depression was seven times the normal level, which reduced their ability to participate in everyday activities.
According to the reports, prolonged detention and harsh living conditions created by temporary protection visas contributed to poor mental health, which improved when refugees were granted permanent visas.
Lead researcher Zachary Steel said those who were not detained or were detained only for short periods were much better able to begin building new lives in Australia and contribute to the community.
“It was very positive to see that rates of PTSD decreased as participant’s visa status changed from temporary to permanent, from 45 per cent to 11 per cent,” he said.
STARTTS community development worker Gary Cachia said allowing Mandaean refugees to bring their family to Australia would also help.
“Earlier they were concerned for themselves, that they would be sent back to such a dangerous country with such bad memories,” he said.
“Now they’ve been given permanent protection this fear has become dominated by constant concern for the safety of family members who have been left behind.
“A refugee who isn’t worrying about loved ones left behind is much more able to contribute to their new home.”
The reports also found there was a need for increased English instruction and more programs to help refugees understand Australia’s laws and values.
The federal government announced reforms to immigration detention earlier this year.
Under the changes, people will only be held in detention until health, security and identity checks have been completed.
The simple solution to this is for them to go home. Why put up with all that worry?