Selective compassion

Australians are compassionate people.  That is what I have learnt from the hundreds of face-to-face conversations I have had in the past two weeks as part of the Hot Potato van travelling from Melbourne to Brisbane to talk to people and take the heat out of the asylum seeker debate.   The politicians have put the ‘rubber to the road’ during the election campaign and so did we – to reveal the view of ‘real Australians’ towards asylum seekers.   Not only were people’s attitudes revealed, but also the reason behind their attitude.

When we embarked on the hot potato campaign, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I simultaneously felt nervous and excited.  I have always deeply believed that there is hope in changing the nature of the asylum debate, that we are better than our current punitive treatment of asylum seekers as Australians, and, as a country. But over the past months my conviction has wavered and I have started to question that maybe we are a racist country after all and that there is no hope in changing attitudes due to a deep seeded inter generational fear of invasion and ‘others’.  After 12 days on the road, my faith in hope for change has been restored.

From Dale in Queanbeyan to Reg in Newcastle to vox pops in Parramatta, people expressed their sympathy and understanding that asylum seekers are fleeing terrible conditions. This is not something that people doubt.  However this statement is quickly and consistently followed by a BUT.  ‘Don’t get me wrong, what they are leaving is awful but ……

–       If only they came the right way.

–       If only they didn’t try and bring their way of life with them.

–       If only they weren’t ‘criminals’ and ‘undesirable’.

–       If only they came and worked and contributed.

–       If they come here and commit a crime, which they do, they need to be sent home.

These ‘buts’ are the foundation of the negative attitudes towards asylum seekers that allow our politicians to implement policies that are cruel, damaging and in breach of our human rights obligations.  We are compassionate, but only towards those who deserve compassion.  If someone has done something wrong then that’s where compassion stops and there is an overwhelming feeling on the street that asylum seekers have done something wrong.

How is it that we have such strongly formed views towards asylum seekers and believe ‘for a fact’ that they’re criminals, queue jumpers, illegal and wanting to impose their way of life?  This is the ultimate chicken and egg question.  Politicians tell us that we need to change public opinion before policies will change and that in Western Australia, Queensland and Western Sydney voters are responding positively to harsher policies towards asylum seekers.

Ironically, people on the ground told me over and over again across 2,800 kilometers that they get their information from the news, politicians and leaders.  The culpability lies with our leaders and media, this was the resounding message people were telling me.  After one particular conversation in Parramatta, the woman I was talking to left furious as she felt mislead as she had believed asylum seekers were illegal, criminals and questionable – only to be exposed to the facts and find out this was not the case.  Simple facts such as it is not illegal to seek asylum and that asylum seekers are 45 times less likely to commit a crime than others in Australia. That asylum seekers want to work (and have valuable skills that Australia needs) but it is our current policy that forbids many from working.  Facts that exist but are not shared by mainstream media and politicians.

What will it take to stop the negative, nasty cycle of spin, sloganeering and misinformation that has lead us to the worst treatment of asylum seekers in four decades?  True leadership. Leadership that appeals to the best in us as Australians – our compassion. Compassion that leads us to react swiftly and without hesitation in a time of disaster – whether it’s drought or fire at home or natural disasters overseas.  Compassion that needs to extend to all.

There is hope for a humane attitude (and policy) towards asylum seekers, hope in that we are compassionate people.  The sad thing is that asylum seekers have been so demonized by our leaders and the media that, currently, we cannot extend our compassion to them.  Instead of blaming public opinion, leaders should stand up and proudly implement policies that uphold our international obligations and extend our compassion to people, even if they arrive on a leaky boat.

Jana Favero has been travelling over 2,800 km in rural and urban Victoria, NSW and Queensland as part of The Hot Potato Campaign.  The campaign aims to raise awareness by sharing facts regarding asylum seekers.  Jana is a Director of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.