Forthcoming events, North Sydney by-election, population/immigration figures, Syrian refugee mix, refusal by The Age to mention the partial solution to the offshore detainees’ plight.
Events: persuade someone to go along
For Thought: Hope For The Planet
There will be presentations on this topic by
Tim Flannery, Naomi Oreskes & David Suzuki.
Melbourne Town Hall
Monday 7 March 2016, 5.15pm-7.45pm
http://www.wheelercentre.com/events/for-thought-hope-for-the-planet
Concert Hall Sydney Opera House
Tuesday 08 March 2016
http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/Hope_For_The_Planet.aspx
Sustainable Living Festival Melbourne
Mark Allen on Population, Permaculture and Planning
Mark O’Connor on “Can We Beat Big Australia?
Sunday 14th February 206 12 pm
North Sydney By-Election
In the North Sydney by-election the Sustainable Population Party polled 3%, well above the 1% or less than in previous contests, The SPP campaign had the advantages of a local candidate in William Bourke and support from Dick Smith. The disadvantage was that there were a couple of candidates with an unusually strong local presence. The latter garnered many voters disaffected by the Liberal Party and by their choice of candidate, Trent Zimmerman, a party machine selection, with nothing outside party backroom work to recommend him. There has been talk of Dick Smith joining the the SPP, but he is naturally an individualist, not a party man.
The SPP faces competition for not well informed voters from the Australian Liberty Alliance (ALA). The latter does not have a strong emphasis on immigration, but it has a very strong one on Muslim immigration, which is sure to attract publicity and hence votes.
Population Growth
Population growth was 1.45% in 2014/25, well above Western and many East Asian countries. Australia’s natural increase is still less than net overseas immigration, despite a slight reduction the intake last financial year. More comment on immigration in https://reduceimmigration.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/a-mixed-bag-of-news-for-reduceimmigration-in-2015/
Syrian Refugee Mix
The original announcement by Tony Abbott had emphasis on Christians and other minority groups with no long future in the Middle East, irrespective of eventual outcomes. Since then there has been back pedalling under pressure from the bien pensants, who want no distinctions. The first arrivals are rumoured to be Sunni Muslims. Fortunately there are some outspoken Christian leaders trying to hold the Government to its original intention.
Partial Solution for Detainees Plight.
In the previous post a partial solution to the plight of detainees on Nauru and Manus was put forward. Michael Gordon, political editor of The Age, has been very vocal in pleading for the detainees to be admitted to Australia. He has not responded to a letter and an email suggesting the he promote the partial solution. The conclusion is that
- he doesn’t wish to mention The Independent Australian, whose views are mostly antithetical to his, so his concerns about detainees are subordinate to his desire to suppress any challenge to his views in general
- he persists in a totally unrealistic view that the Government and Opposition will change their position. Their recent joint hardline decision denying settlement to children born in Australia demonstrates just how unrealistic.*
Last week I approached Senator Madigan, an independent Victorian seeking re-election at the next election, suggesting it would be good issue for him to take up. No reply as yet.
If any reader can think of somebody with MSM access willing to take up the issue, please let me know. You could email m.gordon@theage.com.au.
*curiously the test case revolved around a Bengali woman who has not yet been assessed for refugee status. There is no political or ethnic persecution in Bangladesh.
comment: editor@independentaustralian.com.au