What do you call an emerging economy with a strong future?

[donnashuggy]

PNG apparently 

[a_dingo_ate_my_chinwagger]

I don't think that a country's being "unsafe" is reason enough to seek asylum elsewhere. I understood that refugees were seeking refuge from actively targeted persecution in their country. Isn't that the only criterion which is acceptable to claim refugee status?

[j*oono]

I don't get it.  We don't have enough space in this country to deal with refugees like every other devoloped country does?  Is Australia a backward country?

[a_dingo_ate_my_chinwagger]

How many refugees are there in the world? Could we afford to take them all? as you say, we have plenty of space.

If we took them all in, then the culture of the country would gradually change over time. I believe that London is now caustically referred to as "Londonistan", complete with unofficial but nevertheless deadly serious "no-go" zones for those who don't match a certain cultural description.

[j*oono]

Of course the culture would gradually change.  London was already changed 30 years ago when I was there.  Great curry though 

I'm not saying take them all in but the refugees are going to other countries too and they take them in.  We have a big place here.

[a_dingo_ate_my_chinwagger]

I really have no problem with taking in genuine refugees, but I recognise that some who claim refugee status are really only seeking better economic conditions. I understand why they do that but if the distinction is not made and established then we will be flooded with such people.

We probably will be anyway over time, a great big melting pot and all that . . coffee coloured people by the score. But it's not the skin colour which is the issue, it is the degree to which refugees can become assimilated and contribute to our culture, not to take something away from it.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@j*oono wrote:

I don't get it.  We don't have enough space in this country to deal with refugees like every other devoloped country does?  Is Australia a backward country?

---

There was an interesting article about Australia's attitude shift to boat people and how that occurred when Howard started calling them "Illegal" (which is not true) and he started talking about policies in terms of "border protection" as if we were under some sort of threat.

The article was saying Australians were ambivelent to the issue before this but became anti-refugee once the implication of those terms became part of our every day thinking. Unfortunately, the terms are still strongly part of the Liberal vernacular today so we need a complete attitude shift again before we can start showing some compassion to refugees.

[icyfroth]

I'd like to know what PNG is getting out of this "deal" they made with Mr Rudd.

[i-need-a-martini]

It was clearly reported icy.

Aistralia is building a new large scale hospital and will put funding toward education and law and order reform - all things that PNG desperately need. 

For PNG the issue is in their best interests in so many ways that it is almost brilliant policy making by Rudd.

[icyfroth]

OK thank you I skim read an article about and it didn't cover that.

[lurker17260]

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@a_dingo_ate_my_chinwagger wrote:

I really have no problem with taking in genuine refugees , but I recognise that some who claim refugee status are really only seeking better economic conditions. I understand why they do that but if the distinction is not made and established then we will be flooded with such people.

We probably will be anyway over time, a great big melting pot and all that . . coffee coloured people by the score. But it's not the skin colour which is the issue, it is the degree to which refugees can become assimilated and contribute to our culture, not to take something away from it.

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I wonder if some local people had similar concerns in 1788?