ASYLUM SEEKERS COSTLY
FREDERIKA Steen (Letters, Aug 10) is concerned that the asylum seekers held at Kangaroo Point might be moved from their inner-suburbs hotel to “more isolated” Pinkenba.
It seems moot. In either case they can’t go out.
Steen has attended demonstrations where masks are worn and social distancing is maintained.
That’s fine, but shutting the Story Bridge is more than just a protest, and even one death as a result of the protest is one too many.
More so, when it can have no effect other than to disrupt people going peacefully about their business.
People are stressed out over coronavirus. Think about the people living in aged care.
Give the asylum seekers permanent residence, says Steen, and they will work and pay taxes. Where are the jobs?
They can go back to where they came from. Then maybe the $100,000 it costs to release them into the community could be given to pensioners. It doesn’t cost $100,000 to keep me, so I would love it.
Ross Clark, Woody Point
G. TOWNSEND (Letters, Aug 8) raises the hoary old chestnut that protesters against the plight of refugees should volunteer to house them.
It may come as a surprise to him that many have written to governmend doing just that but have been met with stony silence.
The reason for this is that the government would prefer to use them as hostages indefinitely to deter others at a cost of $350,000 per person a year.
The more salient question is why, apart from the humanitarian concerns, our hard-earned tax dollars are being wantonly wasted in this way?
Martin Walton, Upper Kedron