Dear Mr Hartsuyker
In 2001 the Norwegian ship Tampa rescued from the ocean, according to the ethical code of the sea, a few hundred mainly Afghan asylum seekers. When the ship sailed over the horizon towards Australia, then Prime Minister John Howard did not see it as an opportunity to extend a helping hand to those who had fled misery. He saw it as a chance to win more votes in the up-coming election by appealing to baser instincts such as xenophobia, anxiety and the mean refusal to share the goodness most of us enjoy as a result of our forebears' immigrating here.
Meanwhile, in the NSW central west electorate of Calare, the Independent incumbent, Peter Andren, refused to side with the Coalition on this issue and wished to welcome the refugees. He said he must follow his conscience & do the right thing, even if it cost him votes. The typical Calare voter is a cattle farmer, not a latte-sipping leftie or a bleeding-heart greenie. However, in the election, Peter Andren's vote soared.
Uniting a country by fear-mongering and vilifying those fleeing war, suffering and persecution is not guaranteed to win votes and harms a nation's soul and its reputation. Your impassive behaviour during your meeting with representatives of our local RAR group might lead to the interpretation that you have bought into the party line that ethics can be sold for the Pyrrhic victory of staying in power.
You appear to be proud of your Dutch heritage and culture. Cannot you welcome others to share their culture and to benefit the way your family has from what was once a great and generous-spirited nation? Please don't stand by passively while the qualities that made Australia a nation in which we could all rejoice are eroded to meanness and selfishness.
Yours faithfully
Mary Forbes
Eungai Creek
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