Rudds PNG boat policy not even costed

[mellie]

PAPUA New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says projects agreed to by Australia in exchange for expanding its asylum seeker processing capability have not been costed.

Australia and PNG agreed on Friday that asylum seekers travelling to Australia by boat will be turned away, processed and potentially resettled in PNG.

In exchange, Australia has a agreed to a raft of infrastructure programs in the university, roads, health and law and order sector.

"The costings for the Ramu-Madang highway has not been done, design and costings for of course Lae hospital has not been done. So it costs into millions of Kina," Mr O'Neill told journalists in Port Moresby upon his return from Brisbane on Monday.

"But I cannot just simply give you a figure that is imaginary."

When asked where in PNG asylum seekers will be resettled under the plan he replied: "We'll get there when we start processing them."

Mr also O'Neill declined to nominate an upper limit to the number of asylum seekers he expects to be processed in PNG.

Manus MP Ronnie Knight has said he was told up to 3000.

"It'll be down to what the capacity on the ground can take," Mr O'Neill said.

"Listen, I cannot give you a figure, I cannot know what's going to happen in the future.

"We are hoping this is going to stop the non genuine refugees and asylum seekers coming into our region. I don't think the numbers are going to be as big as what we think its going to be."

He cited Australian media reports of people smugglers saying the expanded processing plan had already had an impact.

"You will see genuine people travelling, but non genuine economic migrants will fall off," he said.

PNG's opposition whip Tobias Kulang on Monday took to the national newspapers to blast the plan.

He said Mr O'Neill should have explained the scheme to the nation's parliament before announcing it in Australia.

"I am convinced we are far less equipped to handle the situation at this stage, especially to respond and to accommodate these asylum seekers.

"Australia must also come out and explain what and how it plans to assist PNG manage this affair."

Church leaders have also condemned the plan.

[mellie]

Someone over on Ozpolitic asked what the feeling was among PNG locals with respects to the Rudd boat solution, and I found this.

Asylum seekers to receive hostile reception in PNG: local governor
By Online Editor
6:04 pm GMT+12, 22/07/2013, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guineans are warning the Australian Federal Government that its new asylum seeker plan will create hostility and add to problems in the developing country.

Local politicians have questioned how the plan will be financed, and say resettled refugees may face hostility from locals.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the plan to send asylum seekers to PNG fulfils Australia's "legal and compassionate obligations", but the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's own website details a litany of social problems in the country.

It says anyone travelling to PNG should exercise a high degree of caution, warning of high levels of serious crime including violent assault and rape, as well of high rates of HIV/AIDS, endemic levels of cholera, and poor health facilities.

PNG's former opposition leader Dame Carol Kidu says the country already has too many displaced people.

"We have not heard the technical details being developed I'm sure by the bureaucrats of exactly how this going to operate," she said.

"But you know, we're a developing country. We don't have the developed systems like Australia.

"We are facing many problems ourselves, and to me I think it could be an increased problem.

"It's called the PNG solution but I think it's more of an Australia solution."

The governor of Oro province, Gary Zuffa, has told 702 ABC Sydney the decision to settle refugees in Papua New Guinea could be very divisive.

"Who's going to finance that re-settlement? I'm assuming that Australia is," he said.

"If Australia is going to finance that re-settlement, then that's going to create a bit of hostility from the local population because these people will be given funds to start a new business, start a new life.

"You know this is going to raise some questions in these economies as well."

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has also hit out at the Government's policy, warning that PNG cannot fully look after its own people.

"I think this is more about the politics of an election than about the humanitarian crisis we have on our borders," he said.

The Opposition continued its attack on the Federal Government's two-page deal with Papua New Guinea.

"The trouble is this particular deal is unravelling before our very eyes," Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told reporters in Melbourne.

"It is not legally binding and it doesn't say what Rudd says it said.

"It doesn't say that everyone who comes to Australia illegally by boat will go to PNG. It doesn't say that no-one who goes to PNG will ever come to Australia. Rudd is being misleading to the point of dishonesty, said Abbott.

SOURCE: ABC NEWS/PACNEWS

http://www.pina.com.fj/index.php?p=pacn ... 1efcfe2280

[mellie]

It's not a solution, it's a smelly pre-electoral sweetener and bandaid that will fall off as soon as the elections over, exposing an odious poorly thought through and executed policy an incoming Abbott government will have to contend with.

But thats ok, because Rudd will have earned Labor a few extra crummy seats along the way, sigh~!

This PNG deal is smellier than a two week old bandaid.

I doubt we will know the thick of it until Rudds lost the election when a PNG government starts making their demands and detailing the promises Rudd made to them "off-the-record".


By which point, Rudd will have already left the building and couldn't give a shit about PNG and Australian relations.
Not his problem anymore.....sigh~!

I wonder if PNG's government realise there's fuck-all chance of Rudd winning the election?

And for their trouble, they may even send back our specially trained (an overnight crash course, lol) AFP officers in a bag... with or without their immunity dog-tags...lol.

[mantra]

But thats ok, because Rudd will have earned Labor a few extra crummy seats along the way, sigh

After today's criticism of the policy - he might be back to square one.

As an alternative - what exactly is Abbott going to do? Yes he said he's going to turn back the boats - but he's very short on detail too.

[mellie]

But thats ok, because Rudd will have earned Labor a few extra crummy seats along the way, sigh

After today's criticism of the policy - he might be back to square one.

As an alternative - what exactly is Abbott going to do? Yes he said he's going to turn back the boats - but he's very short on detail too.

What we do know is that Liberal have a sound track-record when it comes to stopping the boats.

You cant blame Libs for keeping their policies under lock and key, with respects to certain 'wreckers' hell bent on destroying Abbotts campaign before it's even left the ground.

Later the better I say.

Because not everyone is a premature ejaculator like our Rudd.

[mantra]

Better a premature ejaculator than finding out that if Abbott wins he's impotent .

[mellie]

Better a premature ejaculator than finding out that if Abbott wins he's impotent .

Theres never any guarantees with any incoming new government Mantra, never, but what we do know is Labor have an odious track record when it comes to breaking promises and deceiving voters.

So, who do we vote for, those known to be impotent or those we fear might be also?

I look at it this way... this could very well be one example of better the 'potential' devil we don't know than the devil we do, and really wish we didn't.

Honestly ask yourself.... what could be worse than this morbid dysfunctional side-show of Labor recalcitrants?

They have gone past the point of incompetent, as the world turns it's focus to Australia and it's pseudo- boat solution (aka pre- electoral ALP seat warmer) in disgust.

The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels helped our Australian soldiers during WWII, and so this is any way to thank our closest neighbours and friends?

I'm sure the people of PNG are feeling quite appreciated ....NOT... especially given their poorly resourced and already struggling predominantly Christian nation is about to be invaded by an influx of (however short-term) predominantly Muslim refugees.

Yeah, i'm sure the people of PNG are stoked. (inserts sarcasm)

Read the poem written by Bert Beros here.....


http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/asfaras/angels.html

Lest we forget, eh?!!?


This government is an absolute disgrace, and just when we thought they couldn't sink any lower...they go ahead and prove us wrong again.

[mantra]

The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels helped our Australian soldiers during WWII, and so this is any way to thank our closest neighbours and friends?

It's a lovely poem. There has been a lot of speculation, assumption and presumption today. We've been exposed to a lot of conflicting stories. It's not as if we're going to send 50,000 people over there tomorrow - a few at a time will go and it might take a couple of weeks, but if Rudd sticks to this hardline stance and doesn't back down - I doubt very much whether PNG will end up with more than a thousand or so refugees.

What about Indonesia and their massive population? They don't want to shoulder the burden of all the refugees either and won't appreciate boats being turned around - even if that's possible. Our armed forces are against Abbott's policy and so is Indonesia who also have an excellent military. Rather upset the Papuans than the Indonesians. We provide aid to both countries.

[mellie]

The biggest problem I have with Rudds policy is that it's misleading to the point of being down blatantly dishonest.
My question is... do the PNG people and their government know just how misleading this policy is, and how Rudd stands virtually no chance of keeping his end of the bargain following his electoral defeat?

The Opposition continued its attack on the Federal Government's two-page deal with Papua New Guinea.

"The trouble is this particular deal is unravelling before our very eyes," Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told reporters in Melbourne.

"It is not legally binding and it doesn't say what Rudd says it said.

"It doesn't say that everyone who comes to Australia illegally by boat will go to PNG. It doesn't say that no-one who goes to PNG will ever come to Australia. Rudd is being misleading to the point of dishonesty, said Abbott.

SOURCE: ABC NEWS/PACNEWS

I just think it's really poor form to be deceiving to our closest and dearest neighbours, even if their government are well aware of the sham-wow nature of Rudds boat policy that was never really going to reach fruition.

What I would like to know is if PNG realise they are merely being used as a pre-electoral sweetener, are merely being used as a means to Labors preferred however deplorable end.

What we lie to our good neighbours for the sake of winning a few crummy seats?

[mellie]

Mantra, Indonesia is better equipped to accommodate refugees, and given the largest Muslim country is afterall Indonesia, home to 12.7% of the world's Muslims..it's reasonable to assume our predominantly Muslim refugees will assimilate better there than they would in a predominately Christian PNG.


Next question.