Refugee Camps

   I suppose any country which is still afloat in these tough economic times is a magnet for those people wishing to escape their current circumstance.  Australia is no different although getting to this island nation can prove problematic.   United Nations-classified refugees and economic migrants drop from the sky and splash onto the shores ... and now what?   The refugees (and do not confuse economic migrants with refugees) need to be held while their identities and backgrounds are checked for legitimacy.  And where does the government warehouse the growing number of people-including families with children- arriving almost daily any way they can?  Many of the purpose built immigration facilities are becoming quite crowded.  So the federal government starts thinking outside the box.

   Enter Northam. It's a community of 4500 people about 60 miles from Perth.  It has an old WWII army camp nearby that originally held 150 soldiers.  The federal government recently made a surprise announcement that it intended to expand the facility to hold 1500 refugees within a year. Dropping this kind of bomb certainly begs reaction.

   Some people became instantly hysterical ("They'll rape our women and steal our kids")  and others calmly remembered the integration of European refugees after the Second World War.  The majority of the people remain in the middle wading through a sea of unanswered questions in topics of genuine concern.  How will this impact our economy-will local business benefit from this camp?  How will an influx of 33% of our population affect the land and infrastructure?  What are the security measures?  The national health service cannot provide the community with a doctor yet international law will require  medical services for those claiming to be political refugees - a very thorny issue for taxpayers.

   The State of Western Australia has its own questions.  WA is the closest point of entry for many of the people coming in through SouthEast Asia.  Immigration is a federal issue yet this state feels it is being asked  to handle the peripheral issues and problems associated with this people traffic unfunded.  Sort of like the Feds picking up and delivering the goods, the rest of it is the state's bother.  A bit of an oversimplification, but the feeling is an undeniable itch that is tough to scratch.

   I watch all of this with semi-detached interest.  It's not my house.  But while I'm thinking about the medical angle, let me put this message out.   The government is paying a $3000 bounty, er... referral fee, for the successful transfer of  qualified doctors from other countries.  WA needs 50 General Practitioners immediately to fill the needs of rural areas in particular.  Body snatching and midnight raids on foreign hospital staff may be more expedient but less politically correct, hence the financial incentive to residents to bring in medical family, friends and friends-of-friends.

  Any  docs looking for a sea change?