We can learn from the children
My opinion of the Prime Minister locking up innocent people in detention centres is just a few words; what a I-don't-care-how-other-people-feel-Prime Minister!! The people coming to Australia to have a better life, have done totally nothing wrong. They do not deserve to spend their life locked up in detention centres like birds in a cage. People who live in a peaceful world don't know how it feels to be in a country that is not peaceful, which is why some people (like the Prime Minister) do not wish for asylum seekers or refugees to come to Australia. As we are all human beings, we should all understand that everyone would like to be in a safe place rather than a dangerous place. Therefore, we should all try to understand why these people have come to our country and we should treat them and us together equally.
Year 6 female.
Asylum seekers are people who seek shelter or peace. There may be a war in their country, starvation, unfairness and cruelty. There are a whole lot of other reasons for emigrating from their country. I have watched issues on the news about these asylum seekers. They have been rejected by the government of Australia. This is horrible to me, it is like asking someone to play with them and they say no in an awful tone. These poor asylum seekers climb fences, burn things and try to commit suicide. Watching this happen, it makes me feel angry that they are locked up in detention centres. They are treated like animals! It makes me feel outraged. Even animals shouldnt be locked up in such a horrible way. Some women and children have been released. Some children painted pictures, pictures that expressed their feelings. These pictures showed signs and sad faces, that said, Ï WANT FREEDOM - FREEDOM - FREEDOM FOR ME. I can imagine the children's faces while painting these sad pictures. Their faces would be sorrowful.
Thinking of them, my mind flashes back to the people still locked up in those horrible, loathesome places - the detention centres. Those people must be stamped with horror and fear of being sent back to their country where there is a war. If they were sent back, they would be punished in a cruel way. I feel very sorry for those children who are clearly depressed. I think we should treat these desperate people as humans with the generosity that Australians used to have.
Year 6 female.
My reaction to the treatment of asylum seekers is that it isn't fair because asylum seekers immigrate to another country to seek help. They did not come here to get locked up in mandatory detention centres and wait for years and years to be sorted out. It also costs the government money to keep them anyway.
A better idea would be to give the people a little community to live in and they they would have a better life. If this happens then they wouldnt go on hunger strikes or attempt suicide. This would cost the government and tax payers less.
Also, why doesn't the Prime Minister John Howard apologise to the people who he said were throwing their children overboard? Personally I thing being locked up for years is pretty bad when you consider all the good things the asylum seekers could do other than being locked away.
Year 4, male.
My reaction to asylum seekers is fairly strong. I think that if John Howard came along from another country by whatever means and the Prime Minister of Australia was [child's own name], he wouldn't like it if he had to go to a detention centre would he? But if the people came from another country and they were bad people like murderers trying to hide from the police in their own country, then they should go to the detention centres. They should only stay their for about a week then go back to their own country to prison. When asylum seekers come to this country they should be allowed to enter this country and live straight with a job and have some money for a start. They should live in the community with about $50,000 to start them off.
Year 6 male.
These are just some of the views expressed by children at Yagoona Public School, speaking publically at the Chilout SAD Rally in Sydney, March 7, 2002. Their teacher, Noreen Navin, is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at the school. Yagoona Public School has many children who are immigrants, and also has families who have been held in the detention centres.
Noreen's students watched a recent episode of "Behind The News" the ABC children's news program. The program reported on asylum seekers in Australia and exposed the government's "Children Overboard" lie. Many of the children were horrified and deeply affected by the revelations. Following discussion in class, Noreen asked the children to write an opinion piece.
With the ChilOut SAD Rally approaching, Noreen thought the views of the young students would be an interesting contribution. She asked her students for permission to submit their opinion pieces to the ChilOut organisers. When asked why, she explained that a group of people would be gathering to listen to various speakers on asylum seekers. The children asked why they couldn't read out their own pieces themselves!
Five children, armed with palm cards, attended the rally in Martin Place along with their parents,. These five have no public speaking experience, have never addressed a crowd of 800 people before and yet delivered their opinions confidently, clearly and with conviction enough to put most adults to shame. We were all struck by their determination, their lack of fear and their willingness to get up there and speak out!!
