Assange Wants PNG Asylum Seeker Deal Reversed

[icyfroth]

He is the world's most famous asylum seeker and now Julian Assange's political party wants a reversal of Australia's PNG asylum seeker deal.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/07/25/12/09/wikileaks-unveils-candidates-in-melbourne

The WikiLeaks founder and Senate candidate outlined his vision for a more transparent Australia during the launch of his political party in Melbourne on Thursday.

Mr Assange addressed the launch via Skype from London, where he is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy, avoiding extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault.

Mr Assange said his party's seven Senate candidates, including himself, will address the gradual decline in Australian democracy during the past 30 years.

"Canberra needs to be a place of light, not a place of darkness," he said.

The party wants transparency on the PNG asylum seeker deal, more media diversity and a review of climate change targets, free of industry influence.

Mr Assange said his party candidates were an expert "union of people who give a **bleep**" and would be fearless in their scrutiny of government.

"We now have a situation where essentially the two major parties represent either in the case of the coalition big business, not small business," he said.

"In the case of the ALP, where the inner core of the ALP represents property developers, union leaders, Macquarie bank, as in the case of Bob Carr.

(In 2005 the Macquarie Bank announced Mr Carr - who quit NSW politics after 10 years as premier - would advise the bank in a part-time role.)

"Not small business, not the Australian people."

WA candidate Gerry Georgatos said both major parties displayed a "race to the bottom" on the asylum seeker debate, with the government handballing its responsibilities to PNG, one of the most impoverished countries in the region.

The party would seek transparency on the deal and call for its reversal, he said.

Mr Georgatos said the major parties had misled Australians about the scale of the problem facing the nation, and our asylum seeker intake was "minuscule" on a global scale.

Mr Assange, who is standing for the Senate in Victoria, said if elected, there were processes to replace him with other party candidates if he was unable to fulfil his role.

[azureline**]

Won't he need to be here in Australia to run for a seat?

[lakeland27]

 if he were to win, and couldn't make it for some reason, (the reason doesn't need explaining)  the person nominated by him goes in instead.

[donnashuggy]

Good luck to him, I would rather listen to him and see him on the tele than the face you could never get sick of punching (guess who)

[lakeland27]

absolutely no idea

[donnashuggy]

It's not Malcolm Fraser 

[just_me_karen]

I was just studying his face during the misogyny speech, it was pure hatred. He even moved his chair closer in an attempt to glare her down and intimidate. Revolting little man.

And on Assange. I hope he gets a seat. I'd love to see more transparency in our political arena. Things like the brough affair wouldn't be swept under the blue carpet. It's appalling, IMO, that ashbygate isn't front page news....and even that it is rarely discussed in the media. Well, there was one article about it in the Guardian recently, but that's about it.

[donnashuggy]

The Labor Party are being criticized by really not very bright people. The ads in the Australian newspapers in regards to the PNG solution are obviously targeting family members and friends of those ready to jump on boats and they are getting away with it?

Makes me feel like kicking something.

Not sure why I am even listening to Chris Kenny 

[just_me_karen]

Donna, if this forum is representative of wider society ( God forbid), it appears there is a significant number in the gullible, undeducated cohort. No wonder abbott doesn't support education reforms... Like all iron fisted leaders, he'd prefer to keep the masses malleable