The arrival of two boats full of asylum seekers has reignited a new round of political mud slinging over refugee policy.
Transcript
STEVE CANNANE, PRESENTER: Two new boat arrivals off north-west Australia have plunged the asylum seeker debate into a new round of political mudslinging. As the Government and the Opposition accuse each other of being to blame for the arrivals, serious questions continue to be asked about human rights aspects of the Government's Malaysia plan.From Canberra here's our political correspondent Tom Iggulden.
TOM IGGULDEN, REPORTER: It is the issue the Prime Minister just can't shake.
JULIA GILLARD, PRIME MINISTER: Tony Abbott has made it clear that he's reckless about the national interest.
TOM IGGULDEN: The destruction of her "Malaysia solution" has her pacing the hallways and blaming Tony Abbott.
JULIA GILLARD: He is terrified the Malaysia arrangement will work.
TOM IGGULDEN: Mr Abbott's promising to vote down the Malaysia solution legislation, but says he's still for offshore processing.
TONY ABBOTT, OPPOSITION LEADER: We invented it. We've got the patent on it. But it's got to be the right offshore processing, not the wrong one.
TOM IGGULDEN: Now the stakes have been raised in an all-too-familiar manner.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR, HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER: Overnight, two vessels were interdicted by Customs and Border Protection.
TOM IGGULDEN: Tonight, around 160 asylum seekers are being taken to Christmas Island. The Government says they've come because people smugglers have heard the Malaysia solution is off.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Tony Abbott is the best friend people smugglers have ever had.
JULIA GILLARD: When he has said he wants to stop the boats, that wasn't true. And whenever he says it in the future, it should never be taken as being true by the Australian people.
SCOTT MORRISON, OPPOSITION IMMIGRATION SPOKESMAN: They are hysterical comments from an unhinged Government that's deeply divided on this issue.
SARAH HANSON-YOUNG, GREENS: The hysteria is being fanned by both sides in this debate. They are both desperate to score political points.
TOM IGGULDEN: In the middle of the debate today, the Commonwealth Ombudsman - who was giving evidence at an inquiry into the Malaysia deal. He's not satisfied by assurances that Malaysia will protect the human rights of children and victims of torture.
ALLAN ASHER, COMMONWEALTH OMBUDSMAN: Those are all exceptionally vulnerable individuals, and it is in those areas in particular that we feel procedures need to be much more clearly elaborated and published.
TOM IGGULDEN: He says the Government hasn't been forthcoming about how it would plan to deal with vulnerable people.
ALLAN ASHER: Despite several requests to see all of the documents, they haven't - even now - been provided to us.
TOM IGGULDEN: The Ombudsman's office is also concerned the agreement with Malaysia isn't legally binding.
ROHAN ANDERSON, COMMONWEALTH OMBUDSMAN: The issue of whether the agreement can result or interfere with, say, Malaysian judiciary's imposition of a penalty is not something we're certain of.
TOM IGGULDEN: A Labor Senator wasn't happy with the apparent undermining of the Government's policy.
TRISH CROSSIN, LABOR SENATOR: Mr Asher, isn't that a policy matter over which you've got no jurisdiction to comment?
TOM IGGULDEN: But the Ombudsman says it is his duty to report on the issue.
ALLAN ASHER: And ensure that the immigration values adopted by Government - and in pursuance of both Australian law and international obligations - are fully respected.
TOM IGGULDEN: Malaysia says not to worry.
NAZRI AZIZ, MALAYSIAN LAW MINISTER: We know the high standard that the Australians have with regards to refugees. We will certainly follow the bidding of what the Australian Government wants.
TOM IGGULDEN: But the minister admitted that asylum seekers sent from Australia could be caned if they break Malaysia's immigration laws.
NAZRI AZIZ: We are thinking of dropping such punishment in future.
TOM IGGULDEN: Caning or not, the Malaysia solution's all but a hypothetical now, and at some stage soon the Government's going to have to decide how it moves on without it. Tom Iggulden, Lateline.
Do you have a comment or a story idea? Get in touch with the Lateline team by clicking here.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten