Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

PM chest beating on Italy boats: Marles

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been likened to a snake oil merchant by Labor over his comments about the Mediterranean Sea asylum seeker boat crisis.

Tony Abbott has been accused of chest beating and using the human misery of the migrant boat crisis in the Mediterranean Sea for domestic political advantage.

Labor's immigration spokesman Richard Marles, responding to reports European officials had sought briefings from the federal government about Australia's border protection strategies, said the prime minister was not acting like a statesman.

"It's the low-rent act of a snake oil merchant and he should be called out as such," he told Sky News on Wednesday.


1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world