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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/may/18/peter-dutton-says-illiterate-refugees-would-be-taking-australian-jobs
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| Peter Dutton says 'illiterate' refugees would be 'taking Australian jobs' | Peter Dutton says 'illiterate' refugees would be 'taking Australian jobs' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, says unemployment will rise if Australia dramatically increases its refugee intake. | The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, says unemployment will rise if Australia dramatically increases its refugee intake. |
| Labor has pledged to ramp up the intake to 27,000 and the Greens policy is 50,000. | Labor has pledged to ramp up the intake to 27,000 and the Greens policy is 50,000. |
| “For many people they won’t be numerate or literate in their own language let alone English ... these people would be taking Australian jobs and there is no question about that,” Dutton told Sky News. | “For many people they won’t be numerate or literate in their own language let alone English ... these people would be taking Australian jobs and there is no question about that,” Dutton told Sky News. |
| .@PeterDutton_MP says more refugees will take Australian's jobs or languish in unemployment queues #ausvotes #pmlive https://t.co/TdFlaQc8Tb | |
| Dutton said those who can’t find work would “languish in unemployment queues”. | Dutton said those who can’t find work would “languish in unemployment queues”. |
| Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen, who has served as an immigration minister, said Dutton should apologise for the remarks. | Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen, who has served as an immigration minister, said Dutton should apologise for the remarks. |
| “There are hundreds of thousands of refugees in Australia who have worked hard, educated themselves and their children and they will be shaking their heads ... in disgust,” Bowen told ABC Radio. | “There are hundreds of thousands of refugees in Australia who have worked hard, educated themselves and their children and they will be shaking their heads ... in disgust,” Bowen told ABC Radio. |
| Related: Australia's indefinite detention of refugees illegal, UN rules | |
| He said Australia had benefited significantly from the contribution of refugees who had settled here. | He said Australia had benefited significantly from the contribution of refugees who had settled here. |
| The deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, on Wednesday morning dodged a question about whether he agreed with Peter Dutton’s characterisation of refugees as illiterate and innumerate. | |
| “We are an incredibly compassionate nation ... we are a strong nation, we are a good nation, I am very proud of the work we do in getting refugees in our nation and we do that in making sure they don’t arrive by sea because we don’t want to be responsible for people drowning,” he said. | |
| “We want to show our compassion by finding people who are under threat of their life somewhere else and giving them support of our nation and allowing them to come here.” |