Gillard, Abbott announce asylum policies

6 Jul 2010, 11:22 am   -   Source: SBS staff and agencies
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Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced her policy on asylum seekers, saying the opposition's plan to 'turn boats back' would result in the drowning of refugees.

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard has unveiled details of her government's policy on asylum seekers, saying the opposition's plan to 'turn boats back' would result in the drowning of refugees.

"Our nation would not leave children to drown," said Gillard, slamming the coalition's stated policy of 'returning' asylum seekers who had lost or destroyed their identity documents.

The opposition's policy of turning boats back would in reality mean scuttling them, and forcing Australian authorities to choose between rescuing passengers from the water or leaving them to drown, Gillard said.

Read Gillard's full speech

Read the opposition's policy announcement

The PM said the government would focus on stopping asylum seekers from leaving their points of origin, and aim to 'wreck the people smuggling trade'.

Australia would work in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Gillard said.

Regional processing centres

She announced that refugee processing centres would be established in East Timor, with New Zealand slated as a key resettlement destination. 

The PM said she has already spoken to East Timor President Jose Ramos Horta and New Zealand PM John Key on matter.

The PM announced the immediate lifting of the suspension of processing of Sri Lankan asylum visas, but said the ban would remain on those from Afghanistan.

"I am committed to treating people with decency and respect in our detention centres," the PM said.

"But if they are not found to be refugees, I am committed to sending them home."

Eight new boats would be deployed to stop asylum seeker boats under the government's new policy.

'Big population' not for Australia

"I've made it clear that I support sustainable population growth and reject the idea that Australia should hurtle down the track toward a big population."

The PM said Australia's population has doubled since she arrived from Wales in 1966 - from 11 million to 22 million.

"We are a great country like America, but we are not America," said Gillard, stressing that 80 per cent of Australia's population lives on the coast due to the inhospitability of the interior.

TPVs back under Abbott

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the coalition's policy on asylum seekers would include turning boats back 'wherever possible', especially in cases where passengers had destroyed their passports to avoid identity checks.

Abbott accused Labor of 'creating the problem' of asylum seekers, saying the government therefore could not be trusted to fix it.

"If you want to stop the boats, you have to change the government," Abbott said.

He said the average number of asylum seekers arriving by boat per year was lower under the Howard government, despite a spike in 2001 and 2002.

Abbott said the coalition would consider reintroducing Temporary Protection Visas, a controversial measure adopted by the previous Liberal government between 1999 and 2001.

TPVs were abolished by Labor, as they disallowed family reunion and were blamed for endangering refugee women and children who attempted to reach Australia by boat to rejoin their men.

Pilot scheme proposed

Abbott suggested up to 1250 refugees could come into the country under a newly proposed sponsorship pilot scheme, which he said resembled one in place in Canada.

The scheme would run with no cost to the taxpayer and with an expectation that community groups would vouch for potential applications, Abbott said.

 The overall number of people coming to Australia under the refugee and humanitarian program would not change from the current 13,750 per year, Mr Abbott said.

 

 

 

 

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