Stop vilifying desperate people

This article was published in The Sydney Morning Herald 10 July 2010

Julia Gillard wants a dialogue with the Australian people on refugees. That's great, but let's start with the truth. Lies and distortions are the opposition's history. We expected better.

Asylum seekers do not commit any offence by coming here. The Hazaras from Afghanistan, for example, have been persecuted for centuries. In the past few weeks, Hazaras have been summarily executed in the streets by members of the Taliban - a far cry from Ms Gillard's parents' experience in Wales.

In her speech to the Lowy Institute, in quoting the history of her parents, she equated immigrants with refugees and suggested that refugees might receive ''special privileges'' that her parents did not.

What a disgrace for a prime minister. We expect and demand better. By all means have an open debate. Let people ''open their minds'', as she is known to say, but let decency and fairness and truth prevail.