BY ANGELA PINK

PORT AUGUSTA — Students from Port Augusta secondary school attempted to teach federal immigration minister Philip Ruddock a lesson, in a performance they did at the Port Augusta Croc Festival on September 3.

The Croc Festivals are events for upper-primary and secondary students held in regional and remote areas of Australia, the highlight of which is student performances.

Children from the notorious Baxter immigration detention centre have been “allowed” to attend Port Augusta secondary school for several months now, and clearly their involvement in the school has had an impact on all.

The Port Augusta secondary performance showed Australian youth living happily and blissfully unaware, while other young people struggled in war-torn countries, and ended with refugees being welcomed and supported in Australia.

While the families of the children from Baxter who were performing at the festival were “permitted” to attend the evening performances, they were seated in the VIP section so they could be “monitored” — which, bizzarely, put them alongside Ruddock. One family placed their baby on the seat next to Ruddock, visibly disturbing the minister. The family politely asked why they could not be accepted into Australia, as they are “good people”. They were eventually escorted to a separate area by Ruddock's goons.

From Green Left Weekly, September 17, 2003.
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