Asylum, Afghanistan and rugby: blog updates
I thought at the end of this month, I should do a series of blog shorts - updates on subjects raised by this month's blogs; additional information that I should have included first time round; stories or pieces which have caught my eye but didn't really lend themselves to the blogosphere. So here goes:
ASYLUM SEEKERS:
So first to the running story of the month: asylum seekers and the vastly different political reaction aroused by 'boat people' rather than 'plane people'. Confessedly, I should have included more figures in that blog, so here are some more details. In 2008, more than 96% of refugee status applicants arrived by plane - 'plane people' outnumbered 'boat people' by 4768 to 161. Admittedly, there has been a tenfold increase in the number of boat people already in 2009, but the figure will still be nowhere near the number arriving by air. 'Plane people' are also deemed less deserving overall - 40-60% are granted protection visas compared to 85-90% of boat people. Again, a big difference.
Given that Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull seem to tailor a lot of macho-speak on boat people for public consumption, here's some more evidence that the public and press would tolerate greater compassion. This is an editorial from Sydney's Sunday Telegraph, a tabloid which prides itself on having its finger on the pulse of public opinion. 'We are not being flooded by refugees. Australia's borders are not under threat. There is no armada of boats preparing to sail our way... This issue is pure politics and both sides are fudging the truth.'
And here's Denis Shanahan, the political editor of The Australian making a similar point. 'Raw politics is making the arrival of boatpeople a divisive issue once more when it shouldn't be, and the Rudd government is as culpable as the coalition when it comes to emotive catchcries and racist innuendo.'
AUSTRALIA AND AFGHANISTAN:
The number of comments in response to the Afghanistan blog reinforced its central theme: that there isn't much public debate about Australia's presence in the country. Since then, the defence minister John Faulkner has revealed that he has asked military chiefs to see how Australian diggers could complete their role 'in the shortest time frame possible' - which was interpreted as a signal that Australia might withdraw earlier than the three to five years which the government has spoken of before.
I offer this as nothing more than a hunch, but I suspect the Australians would not have announced this unless the Obama administration had decided to reject the main thrust of General Stanley McChrystal's demands for an Iraq-style 'surge'. Certainly, it would be unusual for an Australia government to diverge from White House thinking on an issue so central to the alliance.
BIG AUSTRALIA:
The idea of a Big Australia of over 30 million people gets a super-sized 'No', judging by your commentary. In a week when a report from the federal parliament suggested that Australia's coastal lifestyle is under threat , the Big Australia policy seems even more implausible without a complete rethink about the much-vaunted Aussie way of life.
CODE DEAD:
On the battle of the Australian sporting codes, the Australian Rugby Union has conducted a study of its 'brand health'. It revealed that rugby union is the 'least entertaining, innovative, grass roots-orientated and social'. Crowds from test, super 14 and club matches have declined. In 2006, 617,555 attended Test Matches. This year the figure was 386,287.
ASIDES
• I was intrigued by the story of how Kath and Kim, the first ladies of Australian suburbia, have apparently killed off Australian Chardonnay. 'They weren't our best sales people, Kath & Kim, and it created a negative feel for what is the world's most flexible grape,' said the head of Foster's.
• Here's yet more evidence of how Aussie foodie culture, popularised by hit shows like Master Chef, is attracting international acclaim.
• No doubt you have seen this already, but here is a story revealing the perils of using remote cameras to provide backdrops for live news bulletins.
• And a personal aside: I finally managed to see the end of a play I started watching six weeks ago. Cate Blanchett in A Streetcar Named Desire - uninterrupted this time by any prop malfunctions (a flying radio drawing blood from the leading lady). Mesmerising stuff, and richly deserving of all the rave reviews.
WHAT IS COMING UP?:
There is much to look forward to next month. That great immobilising sporting festival, the Melbourne Cup (that same day the Reserve Bank of Australia is almost certain to raise interest rate for the second consecutive month); the tenth anniversary of the failed Republic referendum; and the much-anticipated arrival of the golfer, Tiger Woods. In mid-November, Kevin Rudd will also apologise to the 'Forgotten Australians'.
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~33~RS~)
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And I am not putting my money on Frankie again in the cup this year.
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Nice to see that your linked "foodie" felt confident to make sweeping statements about Aussie food culture after a week in .... Sydney. Does he work for the BBC as well?
To further amend the consistently misleading impression given by Sydney-based UK media that Rugby Union has a major "care factor" in Australia, you might note that in 2009 the WAFL and SANFL, the two minor Aussie Rules leagues in two less-populated states, posted combined attendances for 2009 of around 400,000 - never mind the millions that went to AFL games. If you want to write about sport in Australia in 2010, how about getting down to the *real* grassroots instead of pandering once again to the rugby myth?
Anyway, nice to see the conservative press standing up against boat-people bashing, and thanks for at least reporting that
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Nick Bryant,
Thanks for the updates on some of the previous blogs that
you have contributed to the BBC from Australia...
=Dennis Junior=
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On Afghanistan, perhaps the cosiness of the Obama Administration to Kevin Rudd has been about stopping an early Aussie withdrawl? It would be terribly impolite to annoy your new best buddy on the world stage by publically walking out of their central foreign policy initiative (if you could call Afghanistan that). Just a thought anyway.....
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I'm glad you've included the giant seagull in your plenary of newsworthy items. It's just what we need to keep things in perspective and an opportunity to have a good belly laugh. I have baby seagulls who peck on my classroom window much to the delight of my teenage students. They are underestimated creatures.
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Ahhh sydney.. home of the cheating bookie who kept his licence, a cheating football team who kept the premiership and asian fusion cooking...
Nick, when you've had enough lemon grass and fish broth with noodles and lemon grass - come to Melbourne. There's even a tailor at the airport who can let your daks out before they start to pinch on the flight home... you can still get fish grass and lemon noodle soup if you want, but they're not your only option in Australia's original capital city.
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Ah, the old "I'm from Melbourne and have a massive chip on my shoulder" thing from thecamo.
You sound so insecure and desperate for recognition down there in Melbourne.
Ironically most people in Sydney don't give a stuff about Melbourne either way.
Personally I think it's a nice city, I really enjoy visiting the place.
Only problem is when I mention that I'm from Sydney you get the typical "Let me list the reasons Melbourne is better than Sydney" conversation. Like I honestly care what they think of my home town.
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Australia has a brilliant food culture. Both Melbourne & Sydney do great food that is world class. Right now Melbourne has a love of modern Australian, modern Italian & Pan Asian. French is also making a come back as well. You can eat great world influenced food for not much money in all sorts of places in Melbourne & still walk away with some change. Sometimes going out to dinner is like taking a holiday overseas, but cheaper :)
Sydney wouldn't be much different, except that liquour laws mean that if you wanted a liquour licence it wasn't cheap, so arguably not so many small places that also have a wine list.
Australia beats Britain hands down on food - fresh, inexpensive & all year round!
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Australia beats Britain hands down on food - fresh, inexpensive & all year round!
Food is inexpensive in the UK too. Please don’t give produce some poll as their figures are always wildly different to reality. Our family spends less than 8% of our income on food.
Fresh food? Well, most people I know grow their own veg these days. Can you get fresher than that?
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Ah, the old "I'm from Australia and have a massive chip on my shoulder" thing from JP Wallace.
You sound so insecure and desperate for recognition down there in Australia.
Ironically most people in the UK don't give a stuff about Australia either way.
Personally I think it's a nice place, I really enjoy visiting the place.
Only problem is when I mention that I'm from the UK you get the typical "Let me list the reasons Australia is better than the UK" conversation. Like I honestly care what they think of my home country.
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Ha, well played John Stone, though I don't remember having a go at the UK.
I like the UK too, it's a great place. I've lived there, and I had a great time. Like Ireland more, but that's probably cuz I'm a couple meetings away from being an alcoholic.
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#9 - Well said! There seems to be some confusion when discussing Australian cuisine/food.
My experience is that City restaurants tend to be very well sited (on the water, outdoors etc) and generally well priced. There's a good choice of South East Asia and modern Australian food. In Melbourne, there's a good range of most cuisine types, often in older, more homely restaurants (as opposed to the square white plates with little stacks of food approach, elswhere). Away from the cities, eating out can be a scary experience - with fewer country pubs offering decent food when compeared to the UK.
In the supermarkets, food seems expensive - especially the 'fresh' stuff. I'd swap the UK experience in that area, any day of the week!
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I find it somehow sad that of the list of blogs Nick has written, there are no comments as yet about BIG AUSTRALIA. Instead, the new comments cover just about everything else mentioned...the Melbourne Cup, Aussie Food Culture, Rugby Union, Afghanistan, Seagulls and the Sydney/Melbourne rivalry.
I say "sad" because with the exception of Afghanistan, the other subjects are rather frivolous when compared to beginning to imagine, and create, the Australia of the future.
I stand by what I said in a previous comment on BIG AUSTRALIA...that Australia needs a doubling of its population over the next 10 years as part of a process to becoming a global economic powerhouse. Not everyone accepts that view and Nick has described the reaction to a vastly expanded population as a "super sized no", however it is my contention that many Aussies are not really capable of being futurists, and are instead more than happy to enjoy the short term, frivolous aspects of life (although, granted, they are fun)including the Melbourne Cup, a good game of footy and dining out.
I on the other hand look far into the future, blessed as I am by having six grand daughters under 10 years of age and a four years old daughter.
I look to the future through the eyes of these young children, and as the females in my family live to very ripe old ages, God willing, these girls will live on into the end of this century and perhaps even make it to the 22nd century.
Why does Australia need to become a global economic powerhouse? It is simple really - because the countries of Asia are becoming just that and if Australia does not advance, its standard of living will continue to decline. Think about it - is it wise to be so euphoric about riches from Australian mineral exports when those minerals are contributing to the rise of nations such as China and India? Of course, good luck to those peoples, but where does it leave Australia in the future? The answer is...vulnerable, vulnerable to falling living standards, falling influence in our part of the world, and globally, and dreams that will go unfulfilled. Don't we need more schools, more universities, more hospitals, more fair priced housing, more roads, better, more efficient seaports etc etc?
I am an Aussie and I have lived in Asia for the past 17 years in a nation that has a booming economy, a rapidly expanding middle class and, a vision of itself in the future that is based on reality.
If Australia really does want to avoid becoming an economic backwater or the Banana Republic Paul Keating once warned against, it really should get its head out of the sand and consign the "lucky country" myth to the scrap heap of history. And it should THINK BIG, because if it doesn't it will be overtaken by those economies and peoples who are thinking just that!
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oldnewshound your idea on how the world works and how Australia should work is pseudo-intellectual and tiresome. You are being the opposite of realistic and instead you are being idealistic....extremely idealistic.
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"Australia has a brilliant food culture."
I agree Butterfly but there is a lot more good food to be had in Australia in places other than Melbourne & Sydney - and at cheaper prices in less pretentious locations !!
Fancy joining me for fish 'n chips (or even a local noodle takeaway) and a couple of beers on The Spit at Mooloolaba Nick ? Unpretentious maybe, but hey I'm happy to admit I'm a cultural philistine !!
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#14...newsobserver87...I am being very realistic.
The bottom line is this...a country's wealth is measured by its internal economy. This is the reverse of the pap we have been fed over the years...that "Australia rides on the sheep's back", that the billions of bushells of wheat we export make us rich and now there is "all that mineral wealth".
It is just not true.
Australia needs a far bigger tax base which only a bigger population will provide. Australia needs a far bigger internal market so that Australian manufacturers can have a bigger national market to provide the profits to explore and capture more global markets.
That is how we will build the infrastructure we will need to preserve our way of kife and our future.
Is that unrealistic?
Is that too idealistic?
Or is that trying my best to make sure I for one can play some small part in preserving the Australian way of life and creating a better future for my children and grand children, and for what it is worth, your kids and all the children that will inherit this incredible and gorgeous nation we call home.
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Yes, and this bigger population brings along with it more of all the same issues we face. When we solve the current problems with infrastructure and everything else, then I’ll happily agree with you and we can move on to the next stage.
We can’t just ram through a massive population increase and *then* expect all infrastructure to be naturally occurring phenomena.
Anyway good news for you, this stuff is (slowly) on the increase anyway.
Don’t try to make it happen way faster, it’s impossible and it would likely blow up in your face – though I’ll agree with you it’ll be nice so long as we keep this place great – I don’t really like living like a sardine in a massive apartment block just for an increased tax base.
Maybe our great, great, great, great grandchildren will see it. From small things big things come, though for the moment the idea is not plausible. Yes too, it would be nice if our Australian way of life and western values got spread, things like free speech for all regarding anything and equal rights for all men and women and a more secular society are great things indeed.
Vegemite, AFL and mateship are also good.
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Well put newsobserver87...but we have to start...agree? In our Aussie way we will work it out...and make it work. Free speech...equal rights for all men and women...a more secular society...Vegemite...mateship... but I'm sticking to Rugby League. Free speech right? All the best to you.
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The number one difference between "plane people" and "boat people" is that people who arrive by plane have already undergone some checks on who they actually are... Australia is one of the hardest places to get a visa too (compared to other similar nations)... people who arrive by boat have had no checks on their identities, I think it is fair for Australia to at least check these people are who they say they are.
Besides that I agree that this is complete media and political beat up, Australia should just get serious about punishing people smugglers and set up facilities to process the "boat people".
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I said it in the Big Australia comments, the idea that to be a wealthy country you must have a large internal economy just seems like the wrong way to go about things.
Do you need to have a large internal economy to have good infrastructure? To provide education? For a particular way of life? I'd prefer to do more with less population, and set an example to the world rather then just slavishly follow old-school market principles.
As for plane people, I was under the impression most of those were people who had out-stayed their visa's. And genuine refugees won't care about which country they go to, just that they're no longer being persecuted.
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Aussie Rugby Union attendances.
2006 Australia home matches:
v England
v England
v Ireland
v South Africa
v New Zealand
v South Africa
in 2009:
v Italy
v Italy
v France
v South Africa
v New Zealand
v South Africa
While it won't account for the 250,000 difference in figures, the difference between hosting England and Ireland compared to Italy and France is massive.
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Brisbaneben, lots of 'plane people' turn out to be refugees as well.
Something like 40% get admitted as refugees, and about 80% of 'boat people'.
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#20 Brisbane Ben...you said "the idea that to be a wealthy country you must have a large internal economy just seems like the wrong way to go about things".
And I beg to differ...that is reality. Yes you do need a large internal economy to have good infrastructure. And to provide more and better education. And to increase your standard of living and preserve your way of life.
Yes, many people like you would "prefer to do more with less population" but you can't do that, unless...and here's the sting...you would be happy to pay a lot more tax. That really is the bottom line.
Either a lot more people paying less tax or the same amount of people paying a lot more tax...to build the infrastructure Australia will need in the coming decades...better schools, universities, hospitals, transport systems, seaports, communications networks...more adequate pensions, better maternity provisions, preparedness for the impacts of climate change as well as enhanced military preparedness...the list goes on and on.
You say you would rather "set an example to the world rather then just slavishly follow old-school market principles".
Yes...wouldn't that be nice...but the reality of that what I am proposing is not slavishly following old-school market principles, it is understanding and accepting the realities of a 21st Century which will deal immense new challenges to Australia and which will test us as we have never been tested before, not even during the dark days of 1942.
In fact, I politely suggest that it is your preference "to do more with less population" that is unrealistic and reflects the thinking of the past.
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Regarding a bigger Australia, we need to move to having about 25 to 30 regional capitals instead of 6 states and 2 territories. Ceduna, where you just did the golf story, needs to be one of them. Western Australia needs to be split into about ten regional capitals. The places where we would locate regional capitals on the east coast are more obvious. State governments and councils needs to be merged into together to form these regional Governments. Most of the areas of responsibility currently under state and territory Governments need to be moved to the Commonwealth Government. This structure would give Australia the room it needs for more people. We need to have completed a checklist of required infrastructure for these places so that it is in place for when we change our Government structure.
Regarding refugees, if you look at who the signatory countries are for the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol, you soon realize that almost none of the predominately Muslims countries have signed either of these documents, however most of the rest of the world has signed at least one of them. I would be happy to ban refugees who are Muslims until this has been addressed. Also, when people fly in to Australia we know who they are because they have documentation, and therefore have met the requirements to be allowed into the country, whereas people who arrive illegally, by boat, do not usually have any documentation and therefore it should be assumed that they do not met any of the legal requirements to be in Australia.
Regarding Kath and Kim, Australians are mostly wine and beer drinkers, we do not really drink spirits. I believe this is partly because of our warm climate, and because drinking is a social thing. Most Australians consider spirits to be hard liquor, which is great if your are under 25 yrs and your objective is to get very drunk.
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thanks for the proportion on plane vs boat arrivals - the lack of them bothered me a great deal.
There is more 'back story' to boat arrivals and trevails than people realize. How 'bout PM Billy Hughes quashing media releases of the arrival of 200+ Maltese prior to the conscription referendum of 1916...and that they were sent to Noumea before finally being allowed to settle. The 70's aint the be and end all......
Ironic that it is a ship named Artic Warrior......any tips Norway?
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the Sydo-centric bias of the BBC is still justified regardless of fracturing blog comments. Nick, are you in Melbourne this week? If you aren't...please don't bother commenting on the cup...coz it won't be worth the exercise, coz you won't be there....nuff said.
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