Refugee Week 15th - 21st June, 2008.

How very timely...

I received this (highlighted in red) in an email a last week. The email was from someone I used to work with and was sent out as a group forwarded thing.

It was good to know that our new government upped the quota to 300,000 immigrants next year. No wonder they did not raise the aged pension. They need the money to support the new immigrants.

Can you believe this ??????????

It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can also get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.00.

A single pensioner who, after contributing to the growth and development of Australia for 40 - 50 years, receives only a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and guaranteed income supplement.

Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees !!!

Lets send this to all Australians so we can all be ticked off and maybe we can get the refugees cut back to $1,012.00 and the pensioners up to $2,470.00 and enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the government over the last 40 - 50 years.

Please forward to every Australian to expose what our elected politicians are doing - to the over-taxed Australian.

The person who sent this to me could not possibly lay claim to knowing me well. Had she known me well she would have realised I would find it offensive. I seethed with anger and my skin crawled when I read it...it was meanhearted and downright xenophobic. I understand that she did not write it but merely forwarded it but surely by doing so she was agreeing with the sentiment expressed...(not particularly articulately either I might add).

We are so very fortunate to live an a country of abundance, we are wealthy in so many ways and as such have an obligation to extend the hand of warmth & friendship to those in need.

How much more needy than refugee status can you get..?? These people who have been uprooted from their homes, families and countries, many have had to travel long distances to safety by foot or worse still, in an unseaworthy vessel crossing treacherous waters. They are desperate and disenfranchised...have been witness to atrocities committed to family members by soldiers, other humans. Parents have seen their children murdered, children have borne witness to their parents violent deaths. They have left their lives, their homes and possessions, some have nothing more than they clothing they stand in.

Do the authors and forwarders of such emails really think people come to our country in such horrific circumstances to rip off the Australian Government and get rich quick..??

Really..??

You can read some stories at the Oxfam website...both heartwrenching and heartwarming.