Peter Dutton’s comments this week about illiterate and innumerate refugees did not sit well with the Australian public. He is just about as popular as home-brand milk right now.
The Immigration Minister’s remarks about refugees who “languish in unemployment queues and on Medicare and the rest of it” did not just spark outrage among the Australian immigrant population… it also attracted the ire of media commentators including Karl Stefanovic who called him downright “un-Australian.”
There is one positive outcome though. The internet has been flooded by stories of immigrant success.
A group of creatives from the advertising industry have also come together to create the I Am A Boat Person campaign. Their aim is to create and distribute a collection of posters that highlight the positive impact Asylum Seekers can have on Australia by using examples of real-life success stories.
Former asylum seekers included in the campaign now work as surgeons, scientists and make-up artists, to name a few.
Campaign coordinator Blanka Dudas also came to Australia as an asylum seeker. She was a refugee from Yugoslavia.
"I know what it’s like to run for your life with nothing but the clothes you are wearing, and to have to start again," Dudas said. "I am grateful for the treatment I received; it was immensely helpful in rebuilding my life."
"I was able to create a successful career as a makeup artist, in Australia and overseas."
Twitter also lit up with refugee success stories.
Osmah Sami - author and comedian.
When Sami was a teenager his family left Iran to seek refuge in Australia. He is now a bestselling author and comedian.
Seems like being "illiterate" is no barrier to achieving some serious goals.
If you would like to support the I Came By Boat campaign please visit their Chuffed page here.
Top Comments
And this, people is the Dutton who wants to be our PM. He should have resigned a long time ago, multicultural Australia does not need his abuse. And if you think Australia should not be multicultural, well, you can go back to the UK and leave Australia to it's original inhabitants, as that is what Australia would be like with no immigration! We are all welcome here, but we should be working together, not abusing others.
The standard of political journalism in Australia is appalling. Dutton's comments have been hijacked by the pc brigade despite speaking the truth. We demand truth from our politicians and then when we get it there's an uproar.