The Albanese Government Leads Us By the Nose on Gazan Refugees

The Government announced last November they would bring 800 Gazan refugees to Australia.

That number later increased to more than 1000. And recently we learned it would be closer to 3000.

The Government assured us full security checks would be done on Gazan refugees.

Those full security checks turned out to take less than an hour. And then we discovered ASIO were beginning checks on people after they had arrived in Australia

The Government stressed the Gazan refugees would be here on 3-month tourist visas.

Then the Government told us they couldn’t possibly return Gazans to a war zone when their tourist visas expired. So now a pathway to permanent residency must be created.

Do you ever get the feeling you’re being led by the nose?

But don’t worry … this same government announced yesterday that Immigration Minister Tony Burke would be personally approving any Gazans who were granted 3-year visas to remain in the country.

Gaza refugees have been told to submit in an expression of interest if they wish to remain in the country, and the Immigration Minister would personally assess each application.

If approved, Gazans would be eligible for welfare payments and Medicare as well as having the right to study here and work.

Here’s a question for you …

Why didn’t Foreign Minister Penny Wong say back in November last year that the Government would bring in 3000 Palestinians from a radicalised war zone with barely any security checks to live her permanently?

I think you know why.

The idea was ill-advised from the very beginning. So the government obfuscated and told part truths.

They worked on the idea that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Well forgive me if I take zero encouragement from news that Tony Burke will be personally assessing visa applications.

This is a government that cannot even say “anti-semitism” without, in the next breath, saying “Islamophobia” just to make sure no Muslims in tight Western Sydney seats think about voting Green.

They have politicised the conflict in the Middle East from the very beginning.

But don’t worry. Tony Burke, who himself has a large Muslim population in his electorate, will be personally verifying everything.

This is the same Tony Burke who has not bothered to deport an American Islamic extremist who publicly praised the October 7 attacks just a week ago.

This is the same Tony Burke who has not bothered to deport a Palestinian refugee who, having arrived in Australia courtesy of this government, has been found to have hosted senior terrorist figures at his art gallery in Gaza.

So forgive me for not going all weak at the knees when the name Tony Burke is mentioned.

And besides, do we really believe that Tony Burke is going to personally conduct thousands of assessments?

And isn’t the suggestion that he needs to an admission that this whole process is entirely out of control?

This government is like a bad dream from which, no matter how much you shake yourself, you simply cannot wake up.