In a generation, we went from begging for immigrants to begging our leaders to keep them out. Here's the TRUTH about why the Left and Right are finally saying enough is enough - and it has nothing to do with race: PVO
Skilled migrants were needed and international students were welcomed with open arms. Why? Birth rates were down, economic growth was flat, and politicians of all stripes embraced immigration as an economic necessity.
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Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Australian Army soldier calls for a protest on the Harbour Bridge to oppose mass immigration and highlight rising homelessness
A former Australian Army soldier has sparked debate after suggesting a protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to oppose mass immigration, rising homelessness, and billions in foreign aid while Australians sleep rough. Sam Bamford, from Adelaide, joined the Australian Defence Force straight out of school in 2009 and served his country on a six-month tour in Afghanistan in 2012. Mr Bamford's tour was marked by a 'green on blue' attack in August of that year, whereby Afghan soldiers turned on their NATO allies, killing three of his fellow Australian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, while another nine were injured. Two Australian Defence Force soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on the same day. Now he has accused the government of prioritising foreign aid and mass immigration over the needs of struggling Australians. Drawing comparisons to last weekend's pro-Palestinian protest that blocked the iconic bridge, Bamford floated the idea of organising a similar 'freedom rally' to highlight what he claims is a national crisis being ignored. 'What if I organised a rally to speak out against the mass unchecked immigration, to shine a light on 122,000 Aussies that are currently homeless, with another 10,000 added every single month, he said. 'To ask why we're ignoring our own people while the government sends $5billion worth of foreign aid every single year. 'We're funding programs overseas, whilst Aussies sleep in tents, while veterans go without and whilst Aussie families choose between food and rent.' Mr Bamford questioned why protests about overseas conflicts are applauded, while those focused on domestic issues like homelessness, housing, or veteran welfare are often ignored or attacked. 'Imagine I called it the Freedom Rally for Australia, and I decide to march over and shut down the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I block traffic, I shut down emergency service routes, frontline services get delayed, and so on. 'Do you think the general population would celebrate that? Do you think the media would cheer it on? Would I have celebrities stand by my side, or would it be shut down, smeared and labelled before I even got there? Bamford didn't stop at domestic issues. He also turned his attention to what he describes as the ignored horror of global child trafficking, claiming that five million children are trafficked each year into sex slavery, war zones, and forced labour. 'I'm not blind to what's happening overseas,' he said. 'What's happening over there is horrific, and it needs to stop. 'But I'm also not naive to what happens globally. Did you know that 5 million children are trafficked every single year into sex ring and slavery and child soldier camps? 'That's not a conspiracy theory. I've spoken to people who rescue those kids. I've done podcasts with them. These people work 24/7, they're constantly on the move, and they're working conditions that most people couldn't even stomach - so where's the Harbour Bridge protest for them? 'Where's the outrage for that. 'Because when it's a trendy cause, it'll shut down the Harbour Bridge. 'But when it's about issues in our own backyard or shutting down the child trafficking world, it's crickets, nothing.' Aware that his comments might spark backlash, Bamford makes it clear he isn't concerned about being labelled. 'Before you call me a Zionist or a bigot or whatever makes you feel good, I'm only here pointing out that we should be fixing Australian issues first - the issues in our own backyard,' he said. Thousands of people have since commented on the idea, with most showing support for Bamford's stance. 'Come on Aussies, let's take Australia back and look after our own backyard,' said one user. 'Australian people need [to] stand together and forget the petty BS for one day and start being mates again,' said another. 'It really grinds my gears… our government should be helping Aussies first… we are in crisis here,' another wrote. One commenter said something needed to be done for future generations. 'They can't afford houses or food and too many [are] homeless — something has to be done,' they said. 'The government has to listen to us.' Another user, who works at a charity supporting at-risk youth, said they wished more people would direct their energy toward helping vulnerable Australian children. 'We all agree what's happening overseas is disgusting and awful - but there is only so much Australia can do for international conflicts,' they said. 'Where's the same level of sympathy for kids living in awful circumstances in Australia?' Some users supported the idea of a protest rally on August 31, with many saying they would attend if it went ahead.
The Guardian
18 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Albanese government has no knowledge of Trump administration threat to deport Iranian man to Australia
Labor has cast doubt on the possibility of the Trump administration transferring an Iranian-born man from US immigration detention to Australia, saying it has no knowledge of the case. The US government is threatening to deport Reza Zavvar, a 52-year-old permanent resident who lives in Maryland, to either Australia or Romania – despite having no links to either country. Zavvar is being held in detention near his home, despite previously holding a US immigration green card, due to a historical conviction for marijuana possession which dates back to the 1990s. He arrived in the US at 12 years of age on a student visa, meaning he has lived in the US for four decades. Zavvar cannot be sent back to Iran due to risk of persecution, and his lawyer Ava Benach says he has been told he could be sent to a third country under so-called 'withholding of removal' status since 2007. Most people with the status are never deported. Documents provided by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement suggest Zavvar could be sent to Australia or Romania. His lawyer, Ava Benach, said Zavvar has never lived in either country. 'There is no rhyme of reason to it, that was just what was put on the form,' Benach said. 'He has not ties to Australia. He's never been to Australia. No family, no education there. How they came up with that is anyone's guess.' Guardian Australia approached the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, about the case. The government said it has not been approached by the United States in relation to it. A government spokesperson said there was no new agreement for transfer of US immigration detainees to Australia. 'We consider any application for a visa on its merits, we have not been contacted by the US government about this matter,' the spokesperson said. 'There have been no new agreements made with the Trump Administration on immigration.' Benach told ABC radio many Iranians living in the US had faced arrest and detention. 'He's perplexed. He never would have contemplated that this could have happened.' The Trump administration has taken a hard line on deporting non-citizens from the US, often to countries in South America. The deportation policy has seen people arrested without warning by federal officials around the US, and has sparked a series of legal challenges. While there is currently no arrangement for receiving deportees from US, a 2016 deal was reached by Barack Obama and then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull for the transfer of up to 1,250 people held in Australia's offshore immigration detention system. Men, women and children from Sudan, Iran, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were among the first people resettled in the US, after being held in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The agreement attracted Trump's rage after he became president in early 2017, prompting him to hit out at the 'the worst deal ever' in a fiery conversation with Turnbull. Leaks of a transcript of the conversation shook the American alliance. Trump reluctantly agreed to honour the deal, the terms of which have never been made public. More than 1,100 people were transferred to the US, according to statistics compiled by the Refugee Council of Australia.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Penny Wong complained to China about intimidation of exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong directly complained about the targeted intimidation of exiled pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong to her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The July meeting was the first face-to-face discussion between the pair since two Hong Kong activists wanted for alleged national security crimes were subjected to anonymous letters offering Australian neighbours $203,000 to inform on them. The letters are now being investigated by the countering foreign interference taskforce, which is led by Australia's federal police and the domestic intelligence agency. Government sources confirmed Wong privately reiterated her public criticism of the targeting of Adelaide-based Ted Hui and Melbourne-based Kevin Yam. Her office previously described their treatment as 'reprehensible' and a threat to 'our national sovereignty'. While Australia's consul-general in Hong Kong had previously raised concerns about the letters with local officials, Wong's elevation of the issue during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asean summit has not been revealed until now. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Hui, an Australian resident and former Hong Kong politician, was also the subject of fake pamphlets that accused him of being a pro-Israel lawyer willing to 'wage war' against Islamic terrorism. The letters were mailed to a mosque near his workplace and included his contact details. Hui and Yam are wanted by Hong Kong authorities for allegedly breaching a controversial national security law that grants authorities sweeping extraterritorial powers to prosecute acts or comments made anywhere in the world that it deems criminal. 'We have consistently expressed our strong objections to China and Hong Kong on the broad and extraterritorial application of Hong Kong's national security legislation and we will continue to do so,' said a spokesperson for Wong. 'Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy.' The letters and pamphlets were mailed from Hong Kong or Macau, a special administrative region of China. Hong Kong authorities have denied sending the letters but this has not convinced the Australian government. Yam, who has previously accused Hong Kong of interfering with his 'fundamental freedoms and democratic rights as an Australian', said he was grateful the minister had raised the issue with her Chinese counterpart. 'Transnational repression can be devastating in forms both brazen and subtle and I hope the government will take all these different forms with the utmost seriousness,' Yam said. Hui, who was convicted in absentia for his role in pro-democracy protests during 2019, said Wong's decision to raise the issue with Yi was 'the right move'. 'Australians need to see that we're not trading away everything just to restore economic ties,' Hui said. In late July, Hong Kong also issued an arrest warrant for Australian pro-democracy campaigner Dr Feng Chongyi, who is a professor of China studies at the University of Technology Sydney. Feng was one of 19 people accused of taking part in the unofficial Hong Kong Parliament, a pro-democracy organisation based in Toronto that Hong Kong authorities say is intended to subvert state power. The group's website states that 'through democratic means, we are committed to safeguarding our community, defending the rule of law, and exposing the CCP's system of governance for what it is: authoritarianism masked as legitimacy'. Hong Kong authorities have placed a smaller $39,000 bounty on Feng for his involvement in the group. In 2017, he was detained for 10 days while on a research trip to China. Speaking to the ABC in July, Feng described the arrest warrant as 'political persecution and violation of basic human rights'. Wong's spokesperson said 'Australia strongly objects to Hong Kong authorities issuing arrest warrants for pro-democracy advocates in Australia'. China's embassy in Australia was contacted for comment. In July 2023, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged Australia, the UK and the US to stop sheltering activists subject to arrest warrants in Hong Kong. 'Relevant countries need to respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong, stop lending support for anti-China elements destabilising Hong Kong, and stop providing a safe haven for fugitives,' she said.
