Tennis champion and broadcaster Jelena Dokic has urged Australians to have a look at the arrival of refugees on Australian shores with an “open mind”.
Ms Dokic’s plea follows the arrival of 39 asylum seekers who have been found close to the small Indigenous group of Beagle Bay in Western Australia earlier than being flown to offshore detention for processing on Friday.
The arrival of the lads, reportedly from Pakistan and Bangladesh, has sparked a renewed debate on whether or not Australia has misplaced management of its borders.
The former tennis star, a refugee herself, escaped war-torn Yugoslavia as a baby and mentioned she may not be alive at this time if it wasn’t for Australia offering her with the chance to settle together with her household.
“For me, I’m a refugee. I was a refugee twice. I came to this country when I was 11 years old and this country gave me and my family an opportunity,” Ms Dokic mentioned on ABC’s Q+A on Monday night time.
“An opportunity that I wouldn’t be here today and be able to accomplish anything in life and who knows, maybe not be alive, if I did not get that opportunity.”
Ms Dokic mentioned conversations surrounding the arrival of asylum seekers ought to look in the direction of discovering an answer reasonably than adopting adverse rhetoric.
“It is about protecting the borders but it is about not turning it not a negative and straight away having this negative conversation about people actually trying to come in and trying to look for a better life,” Ms Dokic mentioned.
“It’s how do we solve this problem and give people an opportunity to come to Australia?
“We need an open mind because I’d like to see more people have the opportunity that I got as well.”
The tennis star mentioned Australia can keep a human perspective whereas discovering an answer.
“I’m coming from a bit of a more maybe a human perspective as well. I think we can kind of have both. I don’t think it has to be one or the other.”
Journalist and Author Geraldine Brooks, who joined Ms Dokic on the panel, welcomed the published of the footage of the lads.
“At least this time we got to see them instead of having them taken out of public view where we can dehumanise them and demonise them,” Ms Brooks mentioned.
“We saw who they were, just people looking for a better life. They’ve been exploited by both traffickers and people smugglers.
“Where’s the humanity?”
The feedback observe an viewers query on the present, querying why the media has not corrected Peter Dutton’s “dog whistle line” that Anthony Albanese is weak on borders.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
