BY ROSS PEAKE, CANBERRA TIMES
16 Jan, 2012 07:13 AM
OUTSPOKEN Independent MP Bob Katter is taking aim at extremist groups using his name to peddle racist material.


"Numerous people who have forwarded these erroneous viral emails have been advised that they are in fact not correct and have been requested not to continue their circulation," he told the Sunday Canberra Times.



His guarded statement of complaint follows inquiries to his office about emails that purport to quote speeches he has made in Parliament.



His electorate offices in Innisfail and Mount Isa are receiving a steady stream of calls from people asking if the anti-immigrant rhetoric in the emails is true.



It is understood the emails are copied from white supremacist groups in the US and tailored to fit Australian conditions.



One bogus email claims that the larrikin MP told Parliament in a speech about asylum-seekers, "We want our country back! I hope this offends all illegal aliens."



Another purported speech begins, "My great, great, great grandfather watched as his friends died in the Boer War."



It concludes, "Live by OUR rules! Dress as we Australians do. Get a job!"



Another protest message claims that asylum-seekers receive a substantially higher weekly allowance from the Federal Government than do Australian aged pensioners.


"Please forward to every Australian to expose what our elected politicians are doing to the over-taxed Australian,'' it says.



The wording is identical to one circulated in Britain and Canada.



Mr Katter has waged a long-standing campaign to support the plight of primary producers battling cheap imports.



He has put his idiosyncratic style to good use in the belief that no one is listening to people outside the comfort zones of big cities.



His newly-formed Australia Party calls for a boost to manufacturing by ordering the construction of 100 patrol boats to secure the coastline against people smugglers.



The party's platform is a mix of loud demands for an end to over-regulation and for individuals to be left alone, alongside calls for government to intervene on interest rates and the retail sector.

As for the bolded, what is wrong with telling the truth??

My blog last week about the politicisation of Asylum seekers and refugees prompted quite a bit of reaction and I promised a number of readers that I’d do some research on the actual financial assistance they receive.

There are so many misleading rumours and “facts” around at the moment regarding asylum seekers and the benefits they get from the government.

One hoax email in particular is doing the rounds telling people that “illegal immigrants/refugees” receive thousands more in welfare payments than Australian pensioners.

Emails like this are completely fabricated and made up purely to conjure up negative sentiment towards asylum seekers.

If you’ve received an email which looks like this you should delete it, tell whoever sent it to you that they’re an idiot, and learn the facts…

•First of all, refugees are not illegal immigrants. It has never been illegal in Australia to arrive on shore without a visa seeking asylum. In fact it’s one of the rights within the UN’s declarations on refugees which Australia helped to write.


•When an asylum seeker arrives in Australia, they do not get any Centrelink benefits. While their status is being processed, and if they meet certain criteria, they can be eligible for financial support from the Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme, administered through the Red Cross. This amount is 89% of the basic Centrelink allowance. This means approximately $405.84 per fortnight – over $260 less than a pensioner.

•Once an asylum seeker is recognised as a genuine refugee, after a long and highly scrutinized process, they are given permanent residency and are then entitled to the same Centrelink, schooling and health benefits as anyone else. No more, no less.

•The normal Centrelink welfare payment is $456 per fortnight, for a refugee with permanent residency and an Australian-born person. A pensioner in Australia receives $671.90. Over $200 more each fortnight. Even with family/parenting benefits, a refugee’s benefits would still be less than a pensioner’s income.

•For an asylum seeker to qualify for any payment under the Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme, they must have lodged an application for a visa 6 months before, not be in detention, and not get any other payment or benefit.

•To get a permanent residence as a refugee, the person has to prove they are a genuine refugee fleeing persecution, go through character, security and medical tests, and sign an Australian Values Statement.

•‘Boat people’ are asylum seekers. Refugees are asylum seekers who have been approved and given a visa. None of them are ‘illegal immigrants’.

The above facts come from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the Refugee Council of Australia, and from the Red Cross. A lot more reliable than a random email from a friend of a friend.

Before you make a judgment on asylum seeker policy, know the facts.

For more info, have a read of these:

- Myths about refugees and asylum seekers: the answers

- Response to lies and hoax emails – Refugee Council of Australia

- Media Blunders on asylum seeker claims

- Assistance for Asylum seekers in Australia - DIAC

- Related articles: Avoid the POlitical Spin - Some Facts About Asylum Seekers



http://www.kochie.com.au/20100713172/the-real-benefits-for-asylum-seekers-in-aus...

as the OP states the emails are NOT TRUE

http://www.kochie.com.au/20100713172/the-real-benefits-for-asylum-seekers-in-aus...


David Koch? Well that just lost all credibility.

notice you haven't answer the question I ask in this thread

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1325114491

So if you don't know the answer when school goes back shyte for brains ask you teacher where the eastern boundary of the riverina is you should learn that in fifth class.



I know where it is. It is  you that doesn't have a bloody clue.

bomen_guy wrote on Jan 17^th, 2012 at 7:12am:



Right here.

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/nsw/riverina