| The Fall Guy |
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From: kgauthier@aap.com.au Below is an email sent by Joy Baluch, the mayor of Port Augusta, to someone raising their concerns about the delay in kids getting off to school. Now while most people in the refugee movement have heard some pretty nasty things from Ms Baluch, personally I agree with the points she makes about community consultation. If there are community concerns, whether you feel they are legitimate or not, the fact that they exist creates a problem for the smooth transition of the refugees into the community unless they are addressed. Therefore in the best interests of the refugees, we must encourage consultation with the communities who are being asked to host refugees. I feel that Ruddock/DIMIA has done this deliberately. Knowing this mayor isn't someone to roll over and play dead, combined with the fact she is not predisposed to be particularly welcoming to refugees, DIMIA has come up with the perfect ploy. Announce programmes with no consultation and wait for her to demand they stop, so they can use her as the fall guy. I spoke with the State Premiers Dept last week and they told me things have been moving ahead but DIMIA had put the brakes on for no apparent reason. While I love to believe Ruddock is an evil bastard who would stop the schools programme out of sheer bloody-mindedness, formulating a lobbying campaign based on this does nobody any good. Especially if there is more to the story and we end up losing creditability. I think all
concerned - local DIMIA, Ruddock, State Education Dept, SA Premiers dept,
Port Augusta Mayor, local parents - are all pointing the finger at each
other with differing levels of reasonable explanations as to what went
wrong and who is the sticking point. Where do we go from here as concerned citizens? Well I have been thinking about these things for a while now, and obviously a lot of other people have, too. The problem with dealing with this issue and others like it, is not that there aren't enough supporters paying attention to it and trying to solve it. It is that we do not 'work smart'. We need to start thinking about how do we join forces as refugee supporters to create project-based teams. If we had someone or a small group who takes on these issues to manage them fully we would be more effective. If there were small teams of people around the country ready to go tackle one small action - like overall lobbying to stop detention, Baxter kids in school, adequate clothing supplies, decent food, shopping trips, appropriate medical care, reporting of violent incidents, etc, then we will be more effective. We need to specialise in areas of concern, and network with each other as to who is the specialist for that area and feed information to that person. They can then follow up all the needs of that issue. There are so many issues that we all get a bit overwhelmed with them all, rather than focussing our attention on one area while another issue is getting attention from other supporters. I am a producer/project manager, so I think in outcome-oriented terms. I'd like to see better project management of individual issues to help people be more effective. Most of us are beyond the point of simply getting outraged at the conditions. We are trying to figure out ways to change those conditions. And I know many hardworking, smart, dedicated people are out there. Enough to really make a difference. We have to start thinking of ways to join our resources and stop doubling up on work. Better forms of communication and issue/project management. This ties in with what Jack Smit is working on for a Baxter-watch programme that should then be rolled out to the other centres. When we hear about
things happening in the centres we have to have a system to gather admissible
evidence, and a person who is the central information point that manages
the gathering of information, and then appropriate people figure out the
best way to deal with that info - going to media, getting supporters to
complain via phone, getting legal help, calling for independent medical
care, etc. Regards, Kate Gauthier PS In the coming weeks I am going to try and start documenting ways I see us being able to work together more effectively. I will post a rough draft so everyone gets a chance to put their ideas in. I hope to have some ideas on paper before Mudgee RAR do in dec7/8. -----Original Message----- Thank you for your comments. The emotion has to be taken out of the equation regarding children of detainees attending schools within Port Augusta. My concern is about process. Minister Ruddock promised Council a month ago that a Consultative Committee comprising nominees from Federal, State and Local Governments, together with Management of Baxter, would be set up to address any issues concerning the Detention Centre. This has not occurred. Consequently on Monday I called upon the Premier and Minister Ruddock to address it immediately. As a Council representing the Community, we expect to be fully consulted, so that we have the correct information to disperse to the marketplace. When I arrived home from Alice Springs on the morning of the 8th I walked into a hornet's nest of angry parents because they had not been consulted. I was requested by them to attend a meeting at the Willsden Primary School at 3.30. In turn I requested those Councillors who were available to attend also, otherwise I would have been in trouble from them. We were met by a rather agitated Regional Superintendent Bill Parker, endeavouring to calm the waters of the angry parents. He informed the gathering that he would have a meeting with the parents in relation to their grievances, and that it would exclude Council representation. The parents were quite vocal that they wanted us in attendance. The Superintendent said "Consultation has now ceased, and will not recommence until the Premier has returned to the State, and he will contact the Council". I said "That is fine. We have an assurance by Minister Ruddock that a Consultative Committee will be set up. I am happy with that - and we are out of here". We left. I was advised later that evening that the meeting with parents concluded at 5.30 and that the Headmaster had resigned. On Wednesday 6 November Bill Parker advised a meeting of School Councillors that they had one hour to decide whether the Baxter children would be admitted, or not. Parents who voted in favour of the concept have since informed us that they were bullied into the situation, and now regret their decision. The were also told that, irrespective of their decision, the process was in place and the children were to commence on Monday. On Friday 6th at 6.06 I was informed by the Premier's Office that the State Government had been accused by Minister Ruddock's office of walking out of an agreement they had concerning the entry of children from Baxter into the Port Augusta Schools, and that I was supposed to be party to. The point I am making is that Council was not consulted. At our meeting with Minister Ruddock he informed us that at some time in the future 9 children would be entering the Education system and that the Government would be trialing a progam of having women and children living within the community. WE WERE NOT CONSULTED. WE WERE TOLD IT WOULD HAPPEN. This was prior to an agreement being reached on consultation and the Committee being set up. Now, if an issue of concern were to arise in your patch of the community, and you requested Council to take up your plight and we said "go to hell", I am sure you would feel extremely let down. That is why I do not allow emotive issues to cloud my judgement. My Council and I demand from the other two tiers of Government full consultation on all issues, otherwise they can stop bleating about partnerships. Partnerships, whether personal or business, are a two way street and have to be constantly worked at. Partnerships are not one-sided. So in relation to the Willsden School issue, these parents were told what would happen. They were not consulted. And therein lies a problem for Council. Decisions affecting
a community have to be made BY THE COMMUNITY, not a person, bureaucrat,
or Minister acting in isolation. Thank You |
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