Double standards

[TrevorW]

Brains before brawn if you ask me

the immigration policy of this country stinks

bring back Menzies

security wise everything went downhill after 911

[toryglen-boy (Duncan)]

Originally Posted by nightstalker

I think imigration is a positive thing for any country , but Duncans point is a very valid one people are able to jump the line with ease these days and thats just not right.. I'll buy we need more tennis players and Ice skaters (we do have lots of ice here) granted citizenship because they .. um ..well .. I'm sure they bring something positive with them ..

But the guy who has managed to keep his family safe and together in some god forsaken refugee camp needs that same roll of the dice that another who is cashed up enough to buy a way out gets .. I'm not sure that always happens.

nail. hammer. head




Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement, its appreciated

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I've got to agree with you on that David.
I live in a quite small town and the largest business, KPC, employs peoples from all over the world, Sudan, Korea, China the Phillipines to name a few.
I've seen so many cases of outright racism, it makes me ashamed to live there.

[Lumen Miner (Mitchell)]

Good-luck mate, I hope it all works itself out. Sounds like an exhausting experience, it should not be.


If it was up me you would be straight in, no questions asked.

[Fossil (Jonathan)]

What I would like to know is who is going to support all the athletes when, in a few short years, they are burnt out? It is my firm belief that politicians are getting more short-sighted all the time.

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

I've got to agree with you on that David.
I live in a quite small town and the largest business, KPC, employs peoples from all over the world, Sudan, Korea, China the Phillipines to name a few.
I've seen so many cases of outright racism, it makes me ashamed to live there.

not everyone is racist. I wasn't trying to imply that. But a lot of people are, and do so without even realising it. One of my pet hates is people who have a go at others for speaking in public in another language. Apparently, it's un-Australian to do so. What about respecting someone else's culture? English is a difficult language to learn...

Dave

[multiweb (Marc)]

Guys, I think you're leaving in a dream world. I've been reading this thread and I can't believe people may think australia is not tolerant towards migrants. For the record I've been living in different countries and mostly in Europe. Duncan, when you migrate into a country there's red tape to go through and extensive check ups. Same for everybody. Don't take it personal. BTW the hardest times I ever had to integrate was in the UK . Australia welcomed me with open arms compared to my experiences there. I condemn any form of racism but the world is full of it. That's a fact. Doesn't matter where you go. I have an aussie mate who's been working in Japan for years now and he's routinely verbally abused. Here in Oz everyone's pretty layback and very welcoming. That has been my experience for the past 15 years I lived here. In a nutshell get out of Oz, travel a bit off the beaten track and see for yourself.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Yes David, not everyone is racist, but there is an outspoken minority here that makes it very uncomfortable for the rest.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Racism also isn't evenly spread across the country. The fewer migrants in a place the greater the chance of racism. I used to work with a Chinese woman who, in her 12 or so years here, had lived in Melbourne, Adrelaide, Canberra, Townsville and Wollongong. She never commented about the first three but did say that in Townsville people looked at her different. Her daughter, who BTW was born here, had come home in tears saying she didn't want to have slanty eyes. Wollongong, she said, was completely different.

And how could it not be. This is a migrant city and everyone here knows people from all over the world. The post-war migration brought boat loads of (mainly) southern Europeans here to work in the expanding heavy industry. There are now grand children and great grand children of those people here. It's nothing to hear someone who sounds entirely Ozzie break into fluent Italian or Greek or whatever (mainly when speaking to older people). Recently we've had a lot of migrants from Asia, the subcontinent and the middle east and they are settling in perfectly well. Around here if you were going to discriminate on the basis of race you would be kept very busy.

[gman (Grant)]

I am not a racist but I do believe in a sort of horses for courses attitude in relation to immigration.

I would much prefer to have someone like Duncan immigrate to Australia and be given citizenship through due precess than to have people from other countries who bring along with them their baggage and try to turn Australia into the country they came from.
(trying hard to stay within the forum rules)

I would be glad to have you aboard Duncan but we just need to clear up one thing:-
Now about answering yes to the "Have you ever been an axe weilding maniac" question.......

Good luck

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

My family were originally from Wollongong. Living right next to the Steel Works in Cringella. In my brothers class, he was the only one who had English as his first language. Our neighbour across the road was a German lady, her family escaped from East Germany through a tunnel under the Wall. There were Greeks, Italians, Poles, Hungarians. Everyone making a small safe haven within the community. Keeping their values, their customs and most importantly, their cuisine alive.
Marvelous!

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

My family were originally from Wollongong. .... Keeping their values, their customs and most importantly, their cuisine alive.
Marvelous!

Ah yes, the food. I joke more than half seriously that the best way for a migrant group to be accepted is to open a restaurant. When I was young fast food meant fish and chips, hamburgers or pies. In the mid-seventies the anglos suddenly discovered pizza and pasta - yum. When the Vietnamese refugees arrived in the late 70s they seemed a weird mob. Within a couple of years there were 2 vietnamese restaurants in town and we found out just how civilised they really were. (If you make nice food you must be civilised - right.) Now the restaurant strip also has Thai, Korean, Indian, Iranian, Mexican etc etc. Culinary and cultural life is now so much better than it was.

Grant, apart from what I said about the city in general, where I work is like the UN. Yesterday I was given a lift to work by a Kurd from Iraq (he saw me at the bus stop). What I've found is that in things that matter people are really really similar. All parents love their children and want the best for them. People want democracy. They are just as honest and hard working as the rest of us. Mostly they don't bring baggage, they bring culture, just as my grandparents did when they arrived from Scotland. (Pipe bands still stir my soul.)

[gman (Grant)]

Hi J, David,

I was more eluding to people who bring their political, social and religious customs/views to Australia and through shear numbers in an certain areas, as this is usually where the hostels are, take over the whole suburb.
All advertising, signage, shops etc are not in written in english.
Situations like these alienate the very people who the immigrants are meant to assimilate with generally forcing them to move out, self perpetuating the situation.

I grew up with the very same ethnicity around my home and at school and there were never these types issues.
Australians are very easy going and generally won't stand up for local issues unless it directley effects them.
I would hate to see a France, Holland etc type situation evolve.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

But I know where Grant is coming from with his post.
Again, it's only the very small minority who make it so much harder for the majority.
Amended....
We have China Town in the Valley, Brisbane, but that's about it. I've not the experience that you have.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

We've hijacked Duncans thread. I feel we should stop now before it's stopped for us.
Thanks for the chat.

[toryglen-boy (Duncan)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

My family were originally from Wollongong. Living right next to the Steel Works in Cringella. In my brothers class, he was the only one who had English as his first language. Our neighbour across the road was a German lady, her family escaped from East Germany through a tunnel under the Wall. There were Greeks, Italians, Poles, Hungarians. Everyone making a small safe haven within the community. Keeping their values, their customs and most importantly, their cuisine alive.
Marvelous!

sounds like the making of a great street party!!

Fossil made a good point, what happens in 10 years when these athletes cant compete at the same level? will they be removed from the country, as they didnt go through the same process as everyone here?

TBH, i think it sullys the good name of Australia. Speaking as someone who is very well travelled, and lived on 3 continents, i can give an outsiders view on the land down under.

Australia, in the eyes of the rest of the world, is really quite an insular place, probably the most insular place in the world, people who are well known here and famous, are relatively unknown in the rest of the world (except your heavy hitters in the Sports, Music and the Arts etc) and TBH, thats not a bad thing, and only really comes about because geographically speaking, Australia is so far away from the rest of the world (anyone who has flown to Europe or the UK will testify to this, the plane journey in itself is harrowing at best, 23 hours in a seat) But, i dont think this is any bad thing, Australia is like the Switzerland of the Southern Hemisphere, its keeps itself to itself, and doesnt really get involved with fights, some 10 hours or so over open ocean, and i think its one of this country strengths, the multiculturalism has opened the door here for some great cuisine, wine etc. and growth. and the views here are pretty liberal, but at what cost?

Oz is known for its sporting prowess, you ALWAYS punch above your weight, and are known for producing a good athlete, and are lways competitive in good spirit, despite being the third least populated place in the world (per capita against area) and beaten only by two African countries, that sit mostly in the Sahara !!

But more importantly, Australia is known worldwide for its "True Blue, Fair go, give a guy a fair shake of the stick" attitude that has served it very well, this latest news, i think, go completely against some of the things, that this nation was founded on, and it sticks in my throat.

as i said earlier "everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others"

[DavidU (Dave)]

There are two things I hate, one is racism the other is immigrants. LOL
Seriously, I was one of 7 kids, we had a lot of friends from many different countrys always around, all ages, different religions etc. I had no idea what racism was until I got to high school. I still find it quite normal to have a wide variety of friends from all over the world,and I'm glad I do.
I think Aust would be a pretty boring place without the valuable input from immigrants

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

[QUOTE=toryglen-boy;486918]sounds like the making of a great street party!!

Yes, the street parties!

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Unless you can trace your bloodline back 40,000 years to the first boatload to Australia, I reckon we're all immigrants.

[Baron von Richthofen (Vaclav)]

Originally Posted by toryglen-boy

Well, last week i went to the Dept of Immigration, about applying for Citizenship etc. I work in the IT industry, and dont have citizenship (although i do have PR) and i see stacks of jobs i could do, and the last question i always get asked is

"Are you an Australian citizen"

to which i reply "no"

and i get "Oh thats a shame, you must be a citizen to apply so you can get security clearance". Part of my coming here (apart from endless medicals) was a full history, and character check up, for the last 12 years, including a written statement from New Scotland Yard in London reporting my criminal record (which turned out to be a blank piece of headed paper!) and a full background check on me for security (my last job in the UK was in the IT dept of the South West Police Headquarters, in Portishead Somerset, where i had to have rigerous background checks anyway for security reasons) since coming to Australia, i have had to submit the relevant information twice to the AFP again, as part of me going from Temp to PR.

I know citizenship is a priviledge, not a right ... and then this kinda thnig comes along, and just makes me so mad, as last week i was told by an immigration officer that "the rules apply to EVERYONE and cant be bent or modified to suit", well, it seems like all the blurb you get over the phone while on hold to speak to someone at immigration (and i have never been on hold for less than an hour) about "Welcome to Australia, where everyone is equal" and treated "fairly" is a load of old tosh, as it would appear some are more equal than others.



http://au.sports.yahoo.com/news/arti...s-hopes-skater

i dont know what sort of response i will get, posting this on here, with a forum full of Aussies

I just think regardless of nationality, its pretty sickening.


that is all

Hi Duncan
Thank god your Scottish because of what I am about to say
The English exported the majority of convicts and the most unsavory guards they had to Australia to get rid of them, the worst immigrants you could think of
so I have a saying, What do you expect from a bunch of convicts