Firstly, when discussing a recent group of asylum seekers (sorry,"illegals" or no doubt soon "aquatic anomalies") being sent to Christmas Island rather than back to Indonesia, Abbott rounded on Sales for using the word "buckle", as apparently this suggests Indonesia and Australia are locked in a "testosterone contest." I have no idea what that would look like (I imagine a twitching mixture of biceps and glands wrestling with a veiny neck wouldn't be far off), though one could argue that a good way to avoid testosterone contests or accusations of being in one, would be to not weave a front bench almost entirely made of XY chromosomes.

It was also when pressed by Sales on asylum seekers that Abbott went and hid behind a term that will come to haunt us all: "operational matters". This must be a dream come true for the prime minister. Leaders of countries where they haven't made policy a military issue have to dance around questions, or make it look like they've answered them when they haven't. Abbott has proven on the first day of business, however, that he now has the perfect weapon against journalists like Sales: he can refuse to answer and then claim it's top secret, as if by merely daring to ask the question is effectively thrusting James Bond into a broken wicker chair and swinging a knotted rope at his bollocks.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/14/tony-abbott-on-abcs-730-leigh-sales-may-as-well-throw-jelly-at-a-cliff

BOLLOCKS! Curse that windbag little shit... and all his acolytes, including that rat bag Mr Murdoch... Is Pell in agreement with the little shit? Yes? No? Knowing Pell he would be fence sitting as usual, hiding behind his frocks, high up in the preacher's box...

from politicoz ….

that was then, this is now ….

Then:

"(Scott Morrison) described his daughter Abbey as 'our miracle child, the answer to a lifetime of prayer and 14 years of painful, invasive and heartbreaking fertility treatment.'" - Daily Telegraph, August 2013 

Now:

"Immigration told us that they are going to send my wife to the mainland,  (and) she is going to deliver the baby there without me being next to her... They keep telling me to go back home if you want to be next to your wife during delivering the baby." - 'Ali', The Age, 15 November 2013

Now (elsewhere):

"An asylum seeker who was moved off Nauru to give birth is being locked up for 18 hours a day in a detention centre in Brisbane while her week-old baby remains in hospital." - The Age, 14 November 2013

Then:

"I will never ever support a people swap where you can send a 13-year-old child unaccompanied to a country without supervision," he said. "Never. It'll be over my dead body."  - Joe Hockey, June 2012

Now:

"Several sources have described harrowing scenes on Christmas Island last month when Immigration officers forced two unaccompanied Sri Lankan children aged 12 and 14 on to a plane to return home." - The Age, 15 November 2013 

The hardliners in the Immigration Department are in control and family separation is the tool of choice. Senior correspondent Barry Everingham reports.

SOME OF THE MOST horrific pictures to emerge from the Nazi era of the Holocaust were the images of mothers being separated from their children before they were sent to Hitler's gas ovens. The civilized world hoped such sick cruelty would never be seen again.

But what the world didn't reckon on was the emergence of the likes of Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison in the 21st Century, two professed Christians whose obsession with stopping boatloads of humans trying to find a better life than the one they were escaping from in what they thought was a humane nation.

Abbott and Morrison  are condoning unbelievable cruelty to asylum seekers — labelled "illegal entrants" by this pair.

Sources in the know tell of what is really going on in the Government run detention centres Christmas Island, Nauru and Manus Island.

Forced family separations and threats of separation mingled with coercion and intimidation and being detained in appalling living conditions are just some of the horrors being heaped upon the asylum seekers.

Scott Morrison won't tell the truth of what is happening,  citing specious "security reasons" for his silence. He's fooling nobody.

Those close to what is actually happening  are leaking like sieves.

According to one source, the Abbott/Morrison  solution is striking fear among asylum seekers from the time they get on the leaking boats in Indonesia until they get dumped in hot, unsanitary, cramped tent camps on Nauru and Manus Island.

Last month, immigration officers forced two unaccompanied  two Sri Lankan children, one 12 the other 14, onto a plane to return home. Their travelling companions were to be some of those who they arrived with on Cocos Island after 34 days at sea.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

No prizes for guessing who delivered that instruction.

The SMH report continues:

''The leash is off,'' said Pamela Curr from the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. ''The hardliners in the Immigration Department can do what they like. And family separation is the tool of choice.

So far, I cannot hear the Jewish Lobby screaming at the Nazi Government of Australia... I believe that the Jewish Lobby is in fear of loosing its privileges...

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has refused to reveal if he will comply with a Senate demand for reports on all asylum seeker incidents at sea, arguing that the previous government had failed to comply with 75 similar requests for papers.

Challenged on whether he considered himself answerable to the Senate, Mr Morrison replied that he considered himself "answerable to the Australian people".

But in response to mounting pressure over the Abbott government's secrecy on the issue, he and the military head of "Operation Sovereign Borders", Lieutenant-General Angus Campbell, offered their most detailed defence yet of the way in which they have been doling out information.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/boat-secrecy-to-continue-as-scott-morrison-dismissive-of-senate-order-20131115-2xltg.html#ixzz2kgsvpTRY


The elected Senate is representing the AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE and has the right and the duty to demand answers — not this sort of crap from Morrison who is flaunting the law... 

Australia and Sri Lanka will expand their navies' cooperation in an attempt to crack down on people smuggling.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is in Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), met with president Mahinda Rajapakse on Saturday as part of diplomatic talks.

Australia will today donate two navy ships to Sri Lanka in a deal that aims to promote enhanced cooperation on people smuggling.

The deal comes days after reports a senior Sri Lankan navy officer was arrested for allegedly being involved in people smuggling.

Fairfax media on Friday reported the arrest of Lieutenant Commander Sanjeewa Annatugoda, who was once an adviser to Australia on how to stop human trafficking.

A Sydney-based refugee action group has already slammed the Federal Government's deal with Sri Lanka.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul says the deal sends a damaging message to the international community.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-16/abbott-boost-cooperation-on-people-smuggling-with-sri-lanka/5097132

---------------------------------------

Now ask yourself the question: One has the opportunity to despatch one's undesirable (say Tamils) without having to kill them or place them in prison because your undesirables seek to move somewhere else like Australia. Are you going to stop them? Hum? Why would you?...

The answer is clear... Despite the new gifted boats that could be used to actually victimise your undesirables, the undesirables will "manage to escape" in the majority — while from time to time a few might be arrested to show some "willingness to stop the boats..." to your "friend" Mr Abbott... All's well in the best world of the universe...

Australia's longest serving Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, says the diplomatic fallout from the Indonesia spying claims is "beyond the control" of Tony Abbot's government, which should just accept that "bad things happen".

Diplomatic relations between the two countries remain in limbo in the wake of revelations that Australia tried to tap the phone of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and monitor those of of members of his inner circle.

Mr Yudhoyono said on Wednesday that Indonesia was suspending all military and intelligence cooperation with Australia until he received a proper explanation as to why Australian spies tried to tap his phone.

Mr Downer told Lateline that while Mr Yudhoyono's reaction was "understandable" and the Canberra-Jakarta relationship important, Australia did not owe Indonesia a detailed explanation of its spying activities, nor would Mr Abbot be well advised to give one.

Mr Abbott's priority was to defend Australia's intelligence assets, he said, adding that while Mr Yudhuyono had been "a great friend" to Australia, "he is not responsible for Australia's intelligence assets".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-20/alexander-downer-on-indonesia-spying/5106674

------------------------

Clowner was an embarrassment for 11 long years... Not worth a diplomatic fart, I believe... Patronisingly flat-footed. Abbott is an embarrassment, an idiotic puppet of Mr Murdoch and his masters the rich ignoramuses...

The government of the day is the one in charge of fixing whatever, instead of digging deeper into shit — whether it's diplomatic relations or climate change...

from politicoz …..

Asylum seekers already in Australia can have their visas cancelled or their meagre government payments reduced if they breach a new code of conduct prohibiting “antisocial behaviour” or “lying to a government official”, or if they fail to attend an interview.

Many of the regulations in the code, which was quietly gazetted last week and came into force on Saturday, are requirements to obey existing laws, including: “You must not disobey any Australian laws including Australian road laws” and “You must not make sexual contact with another person without that person’s consent, regardless of their age; you must never make sexual contact with someone under the age of consent.”

Others are very broad, or impose extra obligations of the approximately 33,000 asylum seekers already in Australia, who live on 89% of the standard unemployment benefit rate for which they are now required to do community work, but are not allowed to do paid work.

These include “you must co-operate with all reasonable requests from the department or its agents in regard to the resolution of your status, including requests to attend interviews or to provide or obtain identity and/or travel documents” and “You must not harass, intimidate or bully any other person or group of people or engage in any antisocial or disruptive activities that are inconsiderate, disrespectful or threaten the peaceful enjoyment of other members of the community.”

Asylum seekers will be asked to sign the code and are warned: “If you are found to have breached the code of behaviour, you could have your income support reduced, or your visa may be cancelled. If your visa is cancelled, you will be returned to immigration detention and may be transferred to an offshore processing centre.”

In an explanatory memorandum for the regulation imposing the code, the government says it has “become increasingly concerned about non-citizens who engage in conduct that is not in line with the expectations of the Australian community. The objective of this proposal is to ensure the safety of the Australian community and to preserve those rights owed to Australian citizens.”

It discusses at length the possible violation of Australia’s human rights obligations by the code, but the immigration minister, Scott Morrison, concludes: “The legislative instrument is compatible with human rights because to the extent that it may limit human rights and the government considers those limitations are reasonable, necessary and proportionate.”

Under the Abbott government asylum seekers already in Australia at the time the former Labor government introduced its so-called “Papua New Guinea solution” to send all asylum seekers arriving by boat offshore for processing and resettlement, will remain on a temporary bridging visa until the parliament allows the Coalition to reintroduce temporary protection visas.

The Greens have said they will seek to disallow the code of conduct when parliament resumes.

“This is a move straight from the Liberal party handbook on fearmongering and hysteria,” said the Greens immigration spokeswoman, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

“We have behaviour protocols, they’re called Australian law and they should apply to everyone equally. This is clear discrimination against a specific group of people and it needs to be called out for what it is.”

But Labor, whose support would be necessary for any disallowance, has not yet formed a view about how to react to the move, according to immigration spokesman Richard Marles.

Morrison first called for such “behavioural protocols” in February after a Sri Lankan asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault.

At the time the idea was criticised by the Victorian Liberal backbencher Russell Broadbent, who said there should ''never be special categories of laws for different categories of people … the rule of law should apply to all and we should not set some people apart''.

Pamela Curr, campaign co-ordinator at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said implementation of the code was "singling out asylum seekers as a group in need of special rules, the inference being that they are a threat".

"Until now asylum seekers released into the community had requirements attached to their bridging visa; including not being allowed to commit a crime, notifying the department of their residence at all times, not moving or going interstate without notifying the department, and generally conforming to the community rules.

"This has has introduced a punishment without trial as the minister can decide if a person should be punished, without consulting the police and the court.”

Daniel Webb, director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre, said the introduction of the code raised serious legal questions.

"People may be indefinitely locked up on the basis of untested allegations of traffic infringements or bullying,” he said.

“The suggestion from the government that such an arbitrary and draconian deprivation of liberty is ‘reasonable, necessary and proportionate’ is dubious at best.

"Morrison says these reforms uphold fundamental Australian laws and values. Well, the right to liberty and the presumption of innocence are pretty fundamental. And these reforms trash them."

The code reads as follows:

“This Code of Behaviour contains a list of expectations about how you will behave at all times while in Australia. It does not contain all your rights and duties under Australian law. If you are found to have breached the Code of Behaviour, you could have your income support reduced, or your visa may be cancelled. If your visa is cancelled, you will be returned to immigration detention and may be transferred to an offshore processing centre.

·                  You must not disobey any Australian laws including Australian road laws; you must cooperate with all lawful instructions given to you by police and other government officials;

·                  You must not make sexual contact with another person without that person’s consent, regardless of their age; you must never make sexual contact with someone under the age of consent;

·                  You must not take part in, or get involved in any kind of criminal behaviour in Australia, including violence against any person, including your family or government officials; deliberately damage property; give false identity documents or lie to a government official;

·                  You must not harass, intimidate or bully any other person or group of people or engage in any antisocial or disruptive activities that are inconsiderate, disrespectful or threaten the peaceful enjoyment of other members of the community;

·                  You must not refuse to comply with any health undertaking provided by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection or direction issued by the Chief Medical Officer (Immigration) to undertake treatment for a health condition for public health purposes;

·                  You must co-operate with all reasonable requests from the department or its agents in regard to the resolution of your status, including requests to attend interviews or to provide or obtain identity and/or travel documents.

·                  I, (name to be written) ______________ agree to abide by this Code of Behaviour while I am living in Australia on a Bridging E visa. I understand that if I do not abide by the Code of Behaviour my income support may be reduced or ceased, or my visa may be cancelled and I will be returned to immigration detention."

The Australian ambassador to Croatia has been summoned after a Coalition MP was reported as passing on the best wishes of the prime minister, Tony Abbott, to a group celebrating a fascist period in the country’s history.

Hughes MP, Craig Kelly, said he was “mortified” at reports he attended the Croatian Club in Sydney last week for an event marking the anniversary of the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in 1941.

The NDH wanted to rid the country of Jews, Roma and Serbs and was established after the invasion of Yugoslavia overseen by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

“On behalf of the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott who is now in Japan, I impart to you his greetings and good wishes on the occasion of the celebration of April 10, to you and all Croatians in Australia and those in Croatia,” Kelly told the gathering, according to an English translation of the report by Australian-Croatian publication Boka Cropress.

A spokesman for the Croatian embassy confirmed the Australian ambassador in the European country had been summoned by the government to explain the comments, specifically the prime minister passing on his “good wishes”.

Kelly’s office did not return phone calls on Tuesday but released a statement to the news site inserbia.info on Monday saying he was “mortified” at what had been reported and that his words had been taken out of context.

“In what I said, I certainly did not endorse the fascist state of Croatia during world war two in any way,” he said.

“In fact, to the complete contrary, the speech I gave was a strong condemnation of both fascism and communism. I specifically called fascism an evil. And the ‘congratulations’ that I gave, were to the Croatian Community for their fight AGAINST [his capitals] fascism.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/22/diplomatic-row-over-tony-abbotts-best-wishes-to-fascist-celebration

See toon at top.

The Governor of Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby has taken out full-page advertisements in local newspapers criticising the Manus Island detention centre.

The open letter from Governor Powes Parkop to PNG's Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato expresses "grave concern" at the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island.

It says asylum seekers have not committed a crime and should not be held in prison-like conditions.

"This is an Australian practice which we should guard ourselves against," wrote Mr Parkop.

"It is... repugnant to our traditional and contemporary culture and to our Christian values to keep such people in near prison-like environment."

"Such environment and conditions can make normal and decent people incur mental problems, including insanity."

The letter says Papua New Guinea is "blindly" following Australian policy, which Mr Parkop says goes against the principles of the UN Convention on Refugees.

He proposes instead that asylum seekers with professional qualifications be given work permits while they wait for their refugee status to be assessed.

"I understand our people are opposed to settlement in PNG but I believe this attitude is influenced by the perception that some of these asylum seekers might be extremist or Muslim fanatics or troublemakers," Mr Parkop said.

"While I don't wish to ignore such possibility … many of these people might be fleeing that type of environment too.

"Let us not demonise these people forever."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-05/an-png-governor-slams-asylum-seeker-policy/5430258

This news item nearly did not make it to the news of the day... it managed to land on ABC online but was being shoved further down the line by "newer news" — with only one update 5 hours ago... It does not seem to appear on any other website except a few radical and revolutionary trumpets, like this one...

See toon and story at top...