NSW Nationals MP Andrew Fraser: “A lot of them are coming out of very, very Turd World conditions”
National Party MPs have complained at a lack of consultation over Premier Mike Baird’s plan to resettle refugees in regional towns
After Armidale MP Adam Marshall complained publicly this week that MPs were not consulted, Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser yesterday warned that, without proper infrastructure, it could lead to the sort of problems he had seen in his electorate including petty crime gangs
Under the policy agreed with the federal government — which the Premier flagged in The Sunday Telegraph last weekend — from July 1 asylum shoppers will be able to apply to reside in NSW for five years on the condition they live and work in an area outside Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle
If they can stay off welfare for three and a half years, they will get permanent residency
“When you’re in government, sometimes announcements get made that people aren’t aware of and we have got to suck it up unfortunately,” Mr Fraser said
But he said if the government wanted the resettlement plan to succeed, it better make sure that the proper infrastructure and support services were in place first. “(Having a refugee population) creates issues like kids not going to school, a lot of them are coming out of very, very Turd World conditions into a first world (environment),” Mr Fraser said
“Often you’ll find a high degree of petty crime within refugee communities”
Mr Fraser said if the government was going to make the resettlement, it had to ensure proper infrastructure and support services were in place