ALBURY’S Young Citizen of the Year, Bhutanese refugee Ram Khanal, called Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s comments on refugees divisive and insulting.
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“We do contribute and there's plenty of evidence of that within our local community,” Mr Khanal said on Sunday.
"When I came to Australia I could not speak English at all and I didn't have much education but I worked hard, I worked my arse off, to be in this position and it is the same with many, if not most refugees."
Mr Khanal was dux of Murray High School in 2011, just two years after arriving via a Nepalese refugee camp.
He earned a university scholarship and read Mr Dutton’s comments while preparing a post-graduate study application.
Mr Dutton was discussing on Sky News a Greens plan to increase Australia’s refugee intake to 50,000 a year.
"For many people, they won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English,” Mr Dutton said, "… these people would be taking Australian jobs, there's no question about that, and for many of them that would be unemployed, they would languish in unemployment queues and on Medicare and the rest of it."
Mr Khanal said the comments were also an attack on Australian workers.
"He says the refugees are illiterate, with no connections and no education and they can find a job. That's a massive insult for Aussies looking for a job,” he said.
“… He's been really a pathetic immigration minister, he has no compassion whatsoever for human beings.
"It's just dividing the country. He's been very divisive.
“"The only person who seems to be illiterate here is Mr Dutton himself."
Nigerian-born Member for Farrer Sussan Ley rejected criticism of her cabinet colleague, saying people were choosing to read what they wanted to into the comments.
“Of course migrants have contributed wonderfully to our region and no-one would disagree,” said Ms Ley, who came to Australia with her English parents as a teenager.
Ms Ley said Australia had the second highest refugee intake (13,750) in the world, behind Canada, and increased the intake “in a managed way”.
“When Australia settles our humanitarian refugees we do it properly – we don't simply issue a visa – we provide funding and support to help them start the necessary adjustment from what is often a background of torture and trauma.
“Some of those who come on a humanitarian visas will be brilliant success stories, others will be on welfare for life.
“We accept that and we hold out our hand to those who need our help.”
