Friday, July 04, 2003
Outsourcing and people smuggling
With Australian parliaments apparently now so bereft of leadership abilities as to require the external assistance of a multinational consultancy, Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock is sure swimming against the outsourcing tide when it comes to his suppositions about Wednesday’s boatload of Vietnamese refugees:
Mr Ruddock said he believed the boat was not part of a major smuggling enterprise, but rather a small group of economic opportunists.
"Our experience with Vietnamese up until now . . . has been we're dealing with people who are looking for economic outcomes," he said.
Here’s me thinking that vulgar Marxism – and with it, categories like “petite bourgeois” – was dead! Vietnamese refugees apparently notably differ from, say, Afghani refugees in being DIY home handypersons when it comes to travelling thousands of kilometers on a wooden fishing boat.
Rather than use travel agents, especially those of the, ahem, unaccredited – even though most-definitely multinational – variety (such as those lazy Afghans use), thrifty Vietnamese refugees simply scour their neighbourhood garage sales for sextants et al, buy a pre-loved boat on eBay, and then set sail for Australia, in full-spinakerred, entrepreneurial self-righteousness.
You’re right, Philip: true “economic opportunists” are scarce indeed. The rest of us mostly float along on pre-packaged tours, usually following someone else’s itinerary. DIY trancontinental travel is for the experts – and for deluded Oz backpackers carrying Lonely Planet guides. The latter somehow always seem to end up in the same bars, singing Khe Sanh. Eh tu, Philip?
With Australian parliaments apparently now so bereft of leadership abilities as to require the external assistance of a multinational consultancy, Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock is sure swimming against the outsourcing tide when it comes to his suppositions about Wednesday’s boatload of Vietnamese refugees:
Mr Ruddock said he believed the boat was not part of a major smuggling enterprise, but rather a small group of economic opportunists.
"Our experience with Vietnamese up until now . . . has been we're dealing with people who are looking for economic outcomes," he said.
Here’s me thinking that vulgar Marxism – and with it, categories like “petite bourgeois” – was dead! Vietnamese refugees apparently notably differ from, say, Afghani refugees in being DIY home handypersons when it comes to travelling thousands of kilometers on a wooden fishing boat.
Rather than use travel agents, especially those of the, ahem, unaccredited – even though most-definitely multinational – variety (such as those lazy Afghans use), thrifty Vietnamese refugees simply scour their neighbourhood garage sales for sextants et al, buy a pre-loved boat on eBay, and then set sail for Australia, in full-spinakerred, entrepreneurial self-righteousness.
You’re right, Philip: true “economic opportunists” are scarce indeed. The rest of us mostly float along on pre-packaged tours, usually following someone else’s itinerary. DIY trancontinental travel is for the experts – and for deluded Oz backpackers carrying Lonely Planet guides. The latter somehow always seem to end up in the same bars, singing Khe Sanh. Eh tu, Philip?
