They say a week is a long time in politics, but in a day the political landscape regarding desperate refugees known as boat people encountered a politically induced ship wreck.
Only the day before Kevin Rudd's version of Howard's 'we will decide' speech, the prospects for refugees released on bridging visas had seemed bad. Now they have become even worse.
A few days before the announcement of the PNG solution I had watched my 'crying chairs' disappear into the truck. It had been time to leave my counselling office, so I surrendered my sturdy armchairs for a greater good. Many people over the years had nestled in one of those voluminous, enfolding armchairs and wept, whispered, or shouted their rage, sorrow and despair. I had sat opposite in an identical chair, feeling a range of similar emotions including empathy, hope and helplessness.
My emptying office, a former one-bedroom apartment, now began to resemble a desolate house; quite like the bare houses set aside for refugees, offered under the former Gillard Government's 'no advantage' rules to those of whom it wished to make an example for not waiting in the invisible asylum queue. This has now been superseded by the even more disadvantaging policy announced by Rudd. The rules have changed for those fleeing war, death and persecution. Now no people arriving in Australia by boat without a visa will ever be settled in Australia.
It had seemed no major sacrifice to offer my discarded material items to destitute refugees. Similar objects can be seen on their way to provide landfill across Australia. Many lie on nature strips, rotting in the rain, awaiting collection as unburnable rubbish. Our citizens are drowning in stuff, frequently disposing of it as garbage, because mere things are so easily replaced. Except when you are a refugee released on a bridging visa, who has nothing.
Prompted by my distaste for society's throwaway mindset, and by my awareness of refugees needs, I googled and found a number to call. It turned out to be the number of Mary, of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Progect. Yes, I was told, they would gratefully receive my office furniture and some appliances provided they were not broken. 'We can't really fix things and we don't have much storage space,' Mary added. I asked if blankets were needed, as I have some spare at home. 'Yes we really need bedding, it's very cold.'
At 9am on Sunday morning the torrential