Labor policy has failed on boat arrivals
16th October, 2009
The fact that at least 25 people have died trying to get to Australia since the Federal Labor Government signalled its new open door policy on border security should be enough for Labor to rethink its failed strategy.The Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss, said the processes put in place by the Coalition ended the trade in human misery.
“That trade has tragically re-emerged and the world knows Australia is now a soft touch,” Mr Truss said. “The Coalition policies closed the door to people smugglers and stopped the boats. Our tough approach worked once and will work again.”
On Wednesday the Prime Minister tried to paint himself as a hardliner on this issue, saying: “The key thing is to have a tough, hard-nosed approach to border security, dealing with the vile species who are represented by smugglers on the one hand and a humane approach to our international obligations on the other.”
“Sadly, Mr Rudd is failing on both counts. The people smugglers have been given a green light and a few insults will not deter them. After all the Prime Minister has used much stronger language than that on his Caucus colleagues.
“There is nothing tough or humane about Labor’s approach – it is just weak and pathetic, full of mixed messages and no deterrents.
“The worldwide tally of refugees and those seeking asylum has not changed significantly from when the Coalition was in government.
“I understand that people are desperate to leave their embattled homelands. I understand there are economic reasons why people choose Australia over Indonesia or other countries. And I also understand that without a sense of order in this process, those who are waiting patiently to be granting refugee status in Australia in the proper way are being shunted further and further back down the line.
“Labor has lost control on immigration. The pandering to special interests in Australia has left porous borders, increasing social unrest here and worst of all, death on the high seas,” Mr Truss said.
