Abbott offers to allow refugee intake rise

27 Jun 2012, 6:24 pm   -   Source: AAP

The federal coalition has offered a compromise to crossbench independent MPs in return for support for the so-called Morrison amendment.

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Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has offered crossbench MPs a compromise in a bid to get their support for a coalition amendment on asylum seeker legislation.

The compromise comprises an increase in Australia's refugee intake from about 14,000 to 20,000.

"What we have offered to crossbench members is an increase in Australia's refugee and humanitarian intake from the current level to 20,000 a year, within three years," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday night.

The purpose was to get support for a workable bill.

"We also think it makes sense to offer people who are prepared to try to come to Australia the right way, rather than the wrong way, more opportunity to do so," he added.

The lower house is currently debating a private members bill put by Independent Rob Oakeshott which would allow the immigration minister to declare that asylum seekers can be sent to any country that is part of the Bali Process.

That would allow the government's Malaysia people-swap deal to proceed and the reopening of a detention centre on Nauru.

During the debate, the opposition moved an amendment to ensure refugees were only sent to countries signed the UN convention, which would exclude Malaysia.

Mr Abbott thanked coalition backbenchers Judi Moylan, Mal Washer and Russell Broadbent for negotiating with the crossbench MPs on the deal.

It had been widely speculated the three might cross the floor and vote with Labor to defeat the coalition amendments.

"What the coalition is now offering to the parliament is humane offshore processing plus a somewhat larger refugee and humanitarian intake," Mr Abbott said.

"I am offering progress."

Mr Abbott said the move was a bid to get progress in what had been a difficult and fraught day for the parliament.

He urged Labor MPs to cross the floor to vote with the coalition.

"I would appeal to decent Labor members of parliament, who within their hearts are deeply unhappy with the Malaysia people-swap, to think again," he said.

Mr Abbott said he had been going backwards and forwards all afternoon trying to broker a deal on what he described as a "goodwill offer."

He was prepared to make the commitment to boost the number of asylum seekers accepted to 20,000 over the next three years for the purpose of getting workable legislation through the parliament.

"This is all about trying to get progress from the parliament rather than deadlock in the parliament," Mr Abbott said.

Immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said there would be a sunset clause of 12 months attached to the coalition amendment and the offer to boost the number of asylum seekers allowed into Australia.

The coalition remained committed to temporary protection visas, as well as other measures it had outlined in its border protection policies.

Mr Abbott said the deal to pass the Oakeshott bill with the opposition's amendments would enshrine in legislation "the precise position that the Labor party took to the last election".

He said some Labor MPs had told him they were unhappy with the Malaysia people swap deal.

"We are doing our best here to win sufficient crossbench support to pass the Morrison amendments," he said.

"I believe that the Oakeshott bill as amended is the kind of bill that a decent Labor Party would be happy to support."

Mr Abbott said the coalition had been prepared to move and get effective legislation, not just through the lower house but the Senate.

"This offers a potential solution that the Oakeshott bill unamended doesn't," he said.

The opposition leader said Ms Moylan, who had previously crossed the floor, had handled negotiations with the crossbench.

The government expects the Oakeshott bill to be put to a vote later on Wednesday night.

Later in parliament, Immigration minister Chris Bowen said Mr Abbott's offer was a "desperate plan".

"He is proposing it in a desperate dash for the numbers," he said.

Mr Bowen said whether the bill made it through the Senate was also up to the opposition, which only had to decide to vote with Labor.

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