Home // October 26-30 2009 > Rudd government "gutless" on asylum seekers: bishop

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Rudd government "gutless" on asylum seekers: bishop

Published: October 27, 2009

Bishop Pat Power

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NB: Bishop Power denies he used the words "gutless" and "suckering" in his comments on this matter to The Age newspaper. He stands by his comments reported by AAP. - Editor 

Bishop Pat Power of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn likened Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's asylum seeker deal with Indonesia to John Howard's Pacific Solution, calling the treatment of the issue "gutless".

Bishop Power said the Rudd government was being "a disgrace on this issue. It is gutless. It has been suckered," The Age reported.

An AAP report in The Australian cites Bishop Power saying he was disappointed with the attitude of Rudd and parliament.

"The talk of border protection ... to my mind that's taking the focus off the people that are most needing help."

"There's no doubt that national security is of importance and that's why we do have a processing mechanism in place," he said. "But that said ... we see, obviously, people that are trying to escape from what is no doubt a life of persecution, particularly in Sri Lanka."

He, however, praised Foreign Minister Stephen Smith's compassion towards the plight of Tamils.

Other news reports said asylum seekers at the detention centre, which was reportedly refurbished last year partly with Australian funding, had experienced abuse, and that the Indonesians were prepared to use force to make a group of newly arrived Sri Lankan boat people disembark.

"We would want that to be done in a peaceful, peaceable, orderly and civilised way, and at this stage I'm confident that can occur," Mr Smith said, calling for restraint, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Indonesian police were reported to be investigating six guards at the detention centre in Tanjung Pinang for alleged brutality of Afghan asylum seekers who have been held there for months.

The detainees were allegedly beat up following an escape attempt. The Afghans claim they had paid $US12,000 ($13,000) to bribe their way to freedom.

FULL STORY

Rudd 'like Howard' on asylum seekers (The Australian/AAP)

78 asylum seekers in limbo (The Age)

Go easy on boat people, Labor tells Indonesia (Sydney Morning Herald)

 

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Recent Comments

  1. What a great prophet of the Catholic Church, authentic and courageous. Bishop Pat - Thank you for showing the way.
    Narelle Mullins

    Posted By: Narelle Mullins

  2. It was so good to see a Catholic Bishop speak on ABC on this issue. He is an example of really standing with those in need. Thank you for the inspiritation.

    Posted By: Sheila Quonoey

  3. Removing all the semantics, more people fly in than come by boat! Both are a mode of transport. What
    does Rudd have against boats? Let's call it what it is - discrimination. This is about fear/smear mongering, votes! Gutless, disgusting, anti-human, anti-christian. Good on ya, Pat! It is a right to move away from a regime which seeks to kill you because you are a Tamil! Mr Rudd should visit one of these concentration camps - they call them farms!
    Again the international community won't say much because Sri Lanka is such a strategic piece of land, for America, China, Japan etc.
    The Bishops Conference should be jumping up and down about this. Every Priest should preach the truth about this, it is an international and for us a regional disgrace.
    This will be a real test of our Christianity, every
    Catholic should lobby their local MP about this, write, phone, email, protest, do whatever you can for these people, in other circumstances they could so easily be you, they to are made in the image and likeness of God! This priest will be doing some stirring where it hurts!

    Posted By: Davidanthony Davies

  4. Bishop Pat Power's cause is noble but he has no understanding of reality. Not all Tamils are jailed in Sri Lanka. Just the cold-blooded killers.
    Australia does not want individuals who committed the following to come to our nation. That is not compassion but an open door to allow convicts, fugitives and war criminals to reside here.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8180000/8180963.stm

    Posted By: Joshua Richardson

  5. I take the view that Australia should help fund the resettlement of the Tamils back to their homes in Sri Lanka. If we take a few now, we will then get an avalanche of them wanting to be here.

    Resettlement funding to build new homes and infrastructure is the way forward for these people.
    Bishop Pat Power doesn't represent me.

    Posted By: Michael Webb

  6. The Catholic Bishops Conference have had a pretty good running sheet since Keven Rudd became Prime Minister. With all the money made available for the Papal visit and World Youth Day taking into account this is not a totally catholic country. Irrespective of all his friends in high places his business is running the country impartially for all Australians and we have to respect that. I think he is realizing that some friendships come at a price.

    Posted By: L Newington

  7. I agree with Bishop Pat Power re focussing on the people who are trying to escape persecution using a humane process.

    Posted By: Margaret Guy

  8. In the ecclesiastical firmament, where there is plenty of cosmic dust, Bishop Pat Power stands out on this and other issues as a star of the first magnitude.

    Posted By: Brian Grenier

  9. Thank you Bishop Pat for having the guts to speak up with compassion for our sisters and brothers; for what is morally right and our responsibility under international agreements. I had hoped that the Rudd government would honour our international agreements but instead we are getting a 'Pacific solution under a different name, more scare-mongering and a Prime minister calling asylum seekers 'illegal immigrants' without evidence. I would expect our national leaders to be giving strong support to the UNHCR to ensure that people who are feeling subject to persecution in their own countries are given safe haven in refugee camps and that the procedures for establishing their status as refugees are expedited. This should be the focus of our diplomacy and attention, not posturing that has dangerous echoes of 'we will decide who comes to our shores'. Jo Elliott

    Posted By: Jo Elliott

  10. It is good to see at least one bishop being prepared to speak up for the severely oppressed peoples of Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

    Posted By: peter kennedy;terry fitzpatrick

  11. Well said Bishop Pat ... keep it up.
    How about going just as hard on abortion, contraception, anti family feminist agendas and homosexuality - all critical and clearly against Christ's wishes for mankind and especially so for His Church.

    Posted By: Chris Saidou

  12. Chris, in all fairness, there are plenty of other people who will speak out and defend Christ and His Church on those issues. We need bishops to talk about other areas as well.

    Posted By: Collin Michael Nunis

  13. Congratulations to Bishop Pat Power on his timely comments about the Prime Minister's move to establish an "Indonesian Solution" for the relatively small number of asylum seekers attempting to reach Australia by boat. Anyone critical of Bishop Power's stance, might like to read, "Myths and Facts about Asylum Seekers" published by A Just Australia.

    Posted By: Maureen O'Brien

  14. Thank you, Patrick, for having the courage to say what needed to be said. The good samaritan did not subject the victim to a process or put him in a detention centre.

    Posted By: Mark Porter

  15. I was surprised to read what THE AGE had reported me as saying about the asylum seeker issue. I spoke strongly but I do not recall using the word "gutless" about the PM or government and "suckered" is not a word I ever use.
    However, I stand by all that AAP reported me as saying.
    (Bishop) Pat Power

    Posted By: Bishop Pat Power

  16. Thank God for Bishop Pat!

    Posted By: conor bradley

  17. Having known Pat since his days as Parish Priest, I totally support his stand.To me, these issues are far more important than the sexual issues currently getting too much press! Well done, Pat!

    Posted By: Gavin

  18. We should remember Christ the Refugee.

    Posted By: Cliff Baxter

  19. Bishop, you are really great. Pressurize the international community to intervene in our problem.

    Posted By: benedict mariampillai

  20. You have only confirmed, Joshua, that the situation concerning refugees is complicated. It is premature to suggest that ordinary Tamil citizens are not threatened with jail. From my limited reading, Tamils are fearing inquisition to discover sympathisers or underground Tigers. Sri Lanka has not yet united the nation. Bishop Pat’s call is to recognise men, women and children suffering and do something to help. Even if you were correct, why should Indonesia have to process them, while we wash our hands. We have processes to sort out terrorists.
    Michael Webb: who do you represent? DLP, as you so often tell us. I looked at its website, and noticed one pearl at least:
    DLP Social Justice Policy: “An end to radical-feminist affirmative action policies whose primary social and economic effect is the disemployment of male breadwinners and the youth.” So 19th Century! Enough said.

    Posted By: Boutros Neru

  21. Without in any way minimising the suffering of many Tamils in Sri Lanka, I don't understand why, if they want to escape persecution, they don't simply flee the very few miles across the sea to the adjacent Indian State of Tamil Nadu, inhabited by people of their own language, race, religion and culture? Why make a hazardous journey of thousands of miles to Australia and pay $thousands to people smugglers, if escaping from persecution is their only object?

    Posted By: Peter G

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