Asylum deadlock grips Canberra

25 Jun 2012, 12:04 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. (AAP)

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. (AAP)

Asylum-seeker policy has once again taken centre stage in Canberra but a compromise seems far from likely despite backbench Coalition MPs urging Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to give ground.

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A compromise on asylum seeker policy seems as unlikely as ever as federal politicians trade blame following last week's boat tragedy.

There were fiery exchanges but no signs of a bipartisan breakthrough on Monday as MPs returned to Canberra for the last week of parliament before the long winter break.

The government is once again calling on the opposition to support its bill to resurrect offshore processing - placed in doubt by the High Court last year - but the coalition isn't budging.

"The government is putting forward a bad deal," opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison told ABC Radio.

"The government needs to focus on what is poor legislation and that doesn't seem to be their focus."

About 90 asylum seekers are believed to have drowned when their overcrowded boat capsized between Indonesia and Christmas Island on Thursday.

The tragedy has sparked fresh calls for a deal between the major parties - both of which support offshore processing but differ on whether to use Malaysia or Nauru - in an effort to stem the flow of boats trying to reach Australia.

In heated scenes on Sky News, Labor MP Nick Champion told Liberal senator Mitch Fifield the coalition had to change its position.

"It's simply not good enough to come in here and reel off these crap lines," Mr Champion said.

"It's about time you started compromising."

But Senator Fifield said the government had created the problem by scrapping the Howard government's policies."It's about time you guys fixed it," he said.

"And the way you can fix it is by putting in place the policies we all know work."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott dodged questions about refugee policy as he left a function at Parliament House.

Labor backbencher Andrew Leigh said the need for a bipartisan solution was increasingly being recognised by "sensible" members of the coalition such as Judi Moylan, Mal Washer and Philip Ruddock.

"I really hope that cooler heads will prevail and Mr Abbott will put morality before politics," Dr Leigh told reporters, adding the Malaysian solution could have prevented last week's drownings.

Dr Washer last week urged his coalition colleagues to reconsider Malaysia, while Ms Moylan has labelled both Malaysia and Nauru as crude.

Greens leader Christine Milne says her party won't support any "dog-eat-dog" solution on asylum seekers.

"There's no way the Australian Greens will support abandoning international law," she told Sky News.

The Greens also have called for Australia to increase its annual humanitarian refugee intake from the current 14,000 to 25,000.

Liberal backbencher Jamie Briggs said he wasn't convinced by the immigration department's assessment that the Malaysian solution was the best way to stop the boats.

"I don't have a lot of faith currently in the immigration department," he said.

"We've seen this issue handled extremely poorly in recent times."
 

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Your Comments

MS

Emanuela Turco - from WOY WOY, 6 days ago

Why does this government blame , everybody else for their incompetence to govern this country and their massive deficit !!!! Sadly five years have been waste to the disadvantage of most of the Australians , nothing like when John Howard was the prime minister most of us felt secure and comfortable, the answer is simple get red of this toxic waste called Labour . VOTE LIBERAL ON 14 ON 14 OF SEPTEMBER, IF SOONER BETTER FOR THIS COUNTRY. THE LIBERAL DID BEFORE AND THEY WILL DO IT AGAIN.

MR

Benson Kane - from Melbourne, 11 months ago

Why should Tony Abbott compromise with Gillard? The opposition policy of people smugglers is Naru. Tony is the opposition leader [and he's getting better at it all the time.] Gillard should start talking to the greens that gave her her job, after all Gillard always gave the Greens whatever they wanted so she can become prime minister. And now she wants Tony Abbott to help her out with the job because she's finding the job too hard to handle.

Tony let her sweat

Benson Kane - from Melbourne, 11 months ago

Why doesn't Julia Gillard talk to the Greens about her Mlaysia policy ? Is it because that the greens are not a treath to her carear but Tony Abbott sure is?.If the Greens will support Juliar Gillard then Juliar won't need the support of Tony Abbott to carry out her malaysian policy.This fact just goes to show who really is playing politics doesn't it? Juliar Gillard will try anything including playing with many humans lives to try and score political points.

Realist

Fae - from Berwick, 11 months ago

Thanks Julia Gillard our first female PM, now nobody will ever vote in another female PM for about 10 years. Oh well you will have your claim to fame 'how to stuff up the country, 'by Julia Gillard. You think you have tricked the people well I have news for you, you have only tricked yourself into believing that you are doing a good job, when the illusion disappears you will have to live the rest of your life knowing the damage you have done. Old PMs are often locked away I hear.

JP

Eddie Dacosta - from Randwick sydney, 11 months ago

Gillard wanted the job always saying getting on with the job cant she get on with the job with out blaming abbott rudd got moved now the butt stops with gillard stop treating the voters like we cant see whats going on when howard was in we never had this problem as much gillard cant fix it

ms

emanuela Turco - from central coast, 11 months ago

The liberals had a policy that worked and the arrogant labour removed it , and now they blame tony abbott they should only blame themselves for the drowning of all the boat people tony abbott is the best thing that australia now has . so the sooner the labour mob goes the sooner can be announced for the new election we australian are in desperate need for a change of government this labour mob is no good and they do no respect the tax payers hard earned money. Jiulia Gillard is just a pony show

NEGOTIATE

Mark - from moonta, 11 months ago

Abbott has no negotiating skills whatever you only have to see that with his inability to negotiate with independents to form government.He has no policy of his own and only ever says well howard did this howard did that.Sack the howard clone make turnball leader of the opposition and maybe we can save some lives.

Not Abbott's responsibility

David - from Malvern, 11 months ago

Could we please stop this nonsense that Abbott is to blame? Those who choose to come this way must take primary responsibility for their own fate. The present government is secondarily to blame for encouraging them to do so. They threw a policy which worked overboard. Govt and media are ignoring this. It is govt's job to govern - not the opposition - govt says it has numbers. Use them or call an election!

Government's problem

Cat - from Adelaide, 11 months ago

It is not up to the Opposition to compromise. They are not governing the country. It is a Labor/Greens coalition and it is their responsibility to do something about the problem. The High Court ruled out Malaysia (not the Opposition) and L/G won't accept other policies which have been shown to work so they must come up with some new policies. It is time the media and government stopped suggesting that it is Abbott's fault. It is their fault!

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