The Government is in a position to publish the long term welfare expense
of illegal migrants versus their benefits and it has failed to do so leaving
us to speculate and in some cases express prejudice.
We get sketchyfigures regarding cost of maintaining refugee detention centres but we
don't have a follow-up economic analysis of subsequent welfare costs
and economic benefit of the settled refugees.
If there is a net shortfall and if the migrants have come from countries in which we
have militarily interfered, then we should simply add this cost to the military bill.
Its a package deal.
There is no one here cribbing about the cost/benefit of our failed military campaigns
in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan which has cost us 10s of $billions
(some would say hundreds of $billions) without any tangible benefit.
As taxpayers we are still copping massive bills for the health and welfare of vets
of these wars not to mention the Government's compensation for death and
injuries.Our local hospital specialises in this kind of medical service and care.
Not alone do we give vets free health care, we also give their spouses the same
free care with a limo thrown in.There's hip & knee replacements, lung cancer from smoking
and other expensive non-war related ailments catered to free thanks to the DVA and
the taxpayer.(This is an expensive-upmarket private hospital and not your generic public job)
IMO opinion, the cost of harbouring refugees in the long tern is peanuts vis-a-vis
the long term costs of our wars and caring for refugees is arguably more noble
and humanly meritorious than shooting an enemy today who may be our trading partner
tomorrow.( just look at our Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese trade today)
We have trashed Vietnamese, Iraqi and Afghanistan buildings and economic assets while
fighting these wars but these countries have not claimed compo from us.
The least we can do now is to take genuine refugees from these war torn regions
and consider ourselves as getting off cheaply.
Cheers
Moorookamick
(Psssssssst....have you heard many cribs about the Vietnamese boat people lately? )
