I forgot to write my name but I'm sure you know that the above reply was from me.
ok let's continue.
RE: "What boggles me is that it is far easier to reach out and get help as a refugee than it is for a born-bred Aussie who terribly needs help."
This is highly untrue. Such a statement is not fair on the people who run this country and not fair on the people that live here. If it so far easier to get help as a refugee then we won't have refugees stranded in detention centres for years and years, and I'm not talking 1 or 2 years. You mention homelessness. My question is what makes you think the government is not doing anything to help homeless people. The issue of homelessness is ongoing. Like most things in life, it is not black and white. If you say it is because there are still many homeless people out in the streets, then that is not a good gauge. The government (at council, state and federal levels) are constantly trying to do something about homelessness. Of course there will never be a solution that will fit everyone (the same applies for a lot of issues in life, if not all). Just for that reason alone, it explains why there are still homeless people. I have a group of friends who are in the community development line who work with homeless people and people who live in rooming in facilities. A lot of times, people who have been offered housing choose not to accept it or their circumstances prevent them from accepting the help that has been given to them. Most homeless people are homeless not only because they have financial problems but also because they have mental health issues. So even if the government provide state housing or rooming in services to them, they might not accept the help because of their mental health issues. Compared to a lot of other countries, Australia provide great support for people with mental health issues. There are also many organizations out there like Beyond Blue who are doing good work. Of course, a lot can be improved and there are many good people out there who are trying to improve the situation with regards to mental health issues. Then there are other circumstances such as a recent one that is happening in the area where I live. This homeless man has been offered the rooming in service provided by the council but he has declined it and chose to live in the streets because the rooming in service does not allow pets and he has a pet dog. As much as I understand that he cannot part with his pet dog and would rather not have a roof over his head, I can also understand why pets are not allowed. Like I said before, there is no one solution that will make everyone happy. Homeless people get financial support too so again your statement is not true and not fair. There is always room for improvement but again, I have to emphasise how unfair and untrue your statement is.
There are many issues in this country that I think can be improved, like Aboriginal health for instance, but again I won't go as far as to say that the government is not helping or doing much for Australian born and that refugees get more help or easier for them to get help because that is not true.
RE: "it saddens me that it seems and feels like more and more refugees are being granted temporary statuses and then PR, and then Citizenship (PR to Citizenship is done on the mainland) while others with something to offer the country immediately are denied that possibility"
Again, this is a very unfair and untrue statement. What makes you think refugees have nothing to offer Australia. I know refugees who are doctors. Australia is not that stupid to just believe when a refugee says "I was a nurse" or "I was a doctor" and give them jobs. Of course they have to prove their qualifications and their skills before they can get the job. So there are refugees who can offer Australia as much as a skilled migrant can.
If you go and find out the percentages, you will realise that it is easier for skilled migrants to get their PRs and citizenship than refugees. Skilled migrants don't have to wait as long and don't have to live in detention centres while their claim get assessed.
That statement also is very elitist in my opinion. If these skilled migrants are so skilled and in demand and can offer so much more, why aren't they offering their skills to their own home country. If these skilled migrants are so skilled and crucial to Australia, then in time they will be offered PRs and citizenship. Also, I don't know what you mean by "being denied the possibility". From my understanding, there is a clear process a skilled migrant has to go through. If they arrive here without a PR and came on only a skilled migrant visa, then they have to live and worked here for 2 years before they can apply for PR and I have not met one who have had their PR application declined. Of course if your documents are not in order, you haven't worked and live here for 2 years or the people at the Immigration department finds out something dodgy about you, then your PR application won't be approved. Then after that you have to be a PR for 2 years before you can apply for citizenship. This process is clear to a skilled migrant and again, I have never met anyone who has been "denied the possibility" so I am not really sure what you are trying to imply.
You have mention helping and prioritising Australian born and bred. Can't you see that taking in the same number of skilled migrants is not helping or prioritising Australian born and Australian born can actually argue that these skilled migrants are taking their jobs? Also, don't you wonder why the government has removed a few occupations from the list of occupations for skilled migration? So many people are just using or rather misusing the system, not just this minority of refugees you have been talking about and the the department of immigration is doing their best to curb it.
Oh and with regards to the tax, again all I have to say is there are bound to be people who don't actually need the benefits they are receiving, but for every one who misuse or take advantage of the system, there are more people who genuinely need help. I have said this to many people before, if a person has problem with paying tax here and with where their tax is going, then don't live in a country like Australia, a country that provides welfare. Live in Singapore or America. Even in Singapore or America, they will be people who complain about where the tax they pay is going to. There will always be people who are unhappy about where their money goes. Also, tax-payers money go everywhere, from transportation, to Medicare, to public schools, etc. It doesn't only go to the few dodgy refugees you have mentioned. I was upset when John Howard used "my money" to pay for his dodgy WorkChoices ads but at the same time, I also know that there are also many people who are benefiting from the tax I have paid. Like I said in my first reply, everyone pay taxes, we get some back, either through better roads, transport system, Medicare, public schools etc.
Thanks for your clarifications about the failed states and rebuilding nations.
ok let's continue.
RE: "What boggles me is that it is far easier to reach out and get help as a refugee than it is for a born-bred Aussie who terribly needs help."
This is highly untrue. Such a statement is not fair on the people who run this country and not fair on the people that live here. If it so far easier to get help as a refugee then we won't have refugees stranded in detention centres for years and years, and I'm not talking 1 or 2 years.
You mention homelessness. My question is what makes you think the government is not doing anything to help homeless people. The issue of homelessness is ongoing. Like most things in life, it is not black and white. If you say it is because there are still many homeless people out in the streets, then that is not a good gauge. The government (at council, state and federal levels) are constantly trying to do something about homelessness. Of course there will never be a solution that will fit everyone (the same applies for a lot of issues in life, if not all). Just for that reason alone, it explains why there are still homeless people. I have a group of friends who are in the community development line who work with homeless people and people who live in rooming in facilities. A lot of times, people who have been offered housing choose not to accept it or their circumstances prevent them from accepting the help that has been given to them. Most homeless people are homeless not only because they have financial problems but also because they have mental health issues. So even if the government provide state housing or rooming in services to them, they might not accept the help because of their mental health issues. Compared to a lot of other countries, Australia provide great support for people with mental health issues. There are also many organizations out there like Beyond Blue who are doing good work. Of course, a lot can be improved and there are many good people out there who are trying to improve the situation with regards to mental health issues. Then there are other circumstances such as a recent one that is happening in the area where I live. This homeless man has been offered the rooming in service provided by the council but he has declined it and chose to live in the streets because the rooming in service does not allow pets and he has a pet dog. As much as I understand that he cannot part with his pet dog and would rather not have a roof over his head, I can also understand why pets are not allowed. Like I said before, there is no one solution that will make everyone happy. Homeless people get financial support too so again your statement is not true and not fair. There is always room for improvement but again, I have to emphasise how unfair and untrue your statement is.
There are many issues in this country that I think can be improved, like Aboriginal health for instance, but again I won't go as far as to say that the government is not helping or doing much for Australian born and that refugees get more help or easier for them to get help because that is not true.
Reply
Again, this is a very unfair and untrue statement. What makes you think refugees have nothing to offer Australia. I know refugees who are doctors. Australia is not that stupid to just believe when a refugee says "I was a nurse" or "I was a doctor" and give them jobs. Of course they have to prove their qualifications and their skills before they can get the job. So there are refugees who can offer Australia as much as a skilled migrant can.
If you go and find out the percentages, you will realise that it is easier for skilled migrants to get their PRs and citizenship than refugees. Skilled migrants don't have to wait as long and don't have to live in detention centres while their claim get assessed.
That statement also is very elitist in my opinion. If these skilled migrants are so skilled and in demand and can offer so much more, why aren't they offering their skills to their own home country. If these skilled migrants are so skilled and crucial to Australia, then in time they will be offered PRs and citizenship. Also, I don't know what you mean by "being denied the possibility". From my understanding, there is a clear process a skilled migrant has to go through. If they arrive here without a PR and came on only a skilled migrant visa, then they have to live and worked here for 2 years before they can apply for PR and I have not met one who have had their PR application declined. Of course if your documents are not in order, you haven't worked and live here for 2 years or the people at the Immigration department finds out something dodgy about you, then your PR application won't be approved. Then after that you have to be a PR for 2 years before you can apply for citizenship. This process is clear to a skilled migrant and again, I have never met anyone who has been "denied the possibility" so I am not really sure what you are trying to imply.
You have mention helping and prioritising Australian born and bred. Can't you see that taking in the same number of skilled migrants is not helping or prioritising Australian born and Australian born can actually argue that these skilled migrants are taking their jobs? Also, don't you wonder why the government has removed a few occupations from the list of occupations for skilled migration? So many people are just using or rather misusing the system, not just this minority of refugees you have been talking about and the the department of immigration is doing their best to curb it.
Oh and with regards to the tax, again all I have to say is there are bound to be people who don't actually need the benefits they are receiving, but for every one who misuse or take advantage of the system, there are more people who genuinely need help. I have said this to many people before, if a person has problem with paying tax here and with where their tax is going, then don't live in a country like Australia, a country that provides welfare. Live in Singapore or America. Even in Singapore or America, they will be people who complain about where the tax they pay is going to. There will always be people who are unhappy about where their money goes. Also, tax-payers money go everywhere, from transportation, to Medicare, to public schools, etc. It doesn't only go to the few dodgy refugees you have mentioned. I was upset when John Howard used "my money" to pay for his dodgy WorkChoices ads but at the same time, I also know that there are also many people who are benefiting from the tax I have paid. Like I said in my first reply, everyone pay taxes, we get some back, either through better roads, transport system, Medicare, public schools etc.
Thanks for your clarifications about the failed states and rebuilding nations.
Reply
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