In the latest attempt by Labor to mollify contentious issues in order to ‘clear the decks’ before this year’s federal election, the government is expected to announce this week – possibly as early as today – a rejigged policy on boat people.
In the dying moments of the Rudd administration, the former PM declared the party would “not lurch to the right” on the issue of refugees and asylum seekers, but reports suggest this is exactly what Gillard will do.
Yesterday the PM called for an open debate on boat people, arguing that fears about border security do not necessarily constitute racism, while Tony Abbott maintained that “only the Coalition knows how to stop the boats.”
Gillard said on the weekend:
“For people to say they’re anxious about border security doesn’t make them intolerant, it certainly doesn’t make them a racist. It means that they’re expressing a genuine view that they’re anxious about border security.
“By the same token, people who express concern about children being in detention, that doesn’t mean they’re soft on border protection, that just means that they’re expressing a real human concern.”
What to think of the Gillard government’s dilemma, and how might Labor respond? Here’s what the media are saying so far.
The Australian
Editorial: Putting policy first in the border protection debate
…the Prime Minister signaled she wanted immigration to be discussed as policy and not treated as a morality play by saying John Howard was not a racist and Australia needed effective border protection.
Paul Maley and Samantha Maiden: Julia Gillard to send back boatpeople
There is a push for the Gillard government to consider lifting the freeze on the Sri Lankan applicants on the grounds that conditions there are now much safer, allowing for the deportation of more failed asylum-seekers, provided that checks were in place to monitor their safety.
Pia Akerman: Sending refugees home ‘a scandal’
Julian Burnside has warned Julia Gillard it would be a “scandal” if her government sought electoral success by deporting asylum-seekers. The human rights activist says sending Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum-seekers back to their home countries would be a scandal.
The Age
Michelle Grattan: Gillard gambles on asylum anxiety
By urging people to vent their fears about the boats without worrying about political correctness, Julia Gillard is taking a gamble. She is sanctioning the escalation of a difficult and explosive debate that turned bitter in 2001, and always has the potential to do so again.
Courier Mail
Michael Madigan: Julia Gillard toughens Labor’s stance on asylum seekers as boat arrivals mount
The Federal Government will move swiftly to toughen its stance on asylum seekers after nearly 100 boat people arrived in 48 hours. Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s approach is expected to include further shoring up of relationships with our neighbours, including Indonesia.
The Daily Telegraph
Sue Dunlevy: Julia Gillard’s right turn on refugees
The Federal Cabinet is expected to endorse a shift to the Right on refugee policy today when it decides whether to continue its ban on processing Sri Lankan asylum seekers. It will consider a new direction on border protection that senior ministers hinted could involve deals with Indonesia and Malaysia, where asylum seekers board their Australia-bound boats. Cabinet will also look at ways to get migrants out of major cities.
The Herald Sun
Ben Packham: Rising asylum-seeker tide hits Julia Gillard
Pressure is mounting on Julia Gillard to do something about unauthorised boat arrivals after yet another asylum-seeker vessel was intercepted on the weekend – the 75th this year.
Let’s leave aside political correctness then – is Julia suffering from the collective memory of all those boatloads of refos (Angles and Saxons) who kicked the Camry (those strangers the Welsh) out of Briton into the Snowdonian Highlands?
What sort of madness is she offering? That we tear up those treaties that have protected the collective peace of the the last 65 years?
Refugees have legal rights in this country – they do not have to be citizens or residents – just here and by whatever means, process their applications quickly and if they do not stack up then repatriate them.
And Julia if you do not like it jump back on your boat and go back to Wales from whence your family fled as economic refugees – because they could not afford decent health care for you.
Thank you Ms Gillard for finally telling it like it is. Hopefully now all the politically correct do-gooders can be put to one side whilst a sensible debate can be undertaken by people who know what a complete disaster captain Rudd’s changes to this policy have turned out to be. Gillard is clearly aware of this and is smart enough to know it needs to be dramatically changed. Australia is drowning in a sea of political correctness, and it’s about time someone came out and highlighted the fact. Happily enough in this case, it’s our new Prime Minister. It will be interesting to see what changes she decides to make. Good on you Julia, the silent majority is behind you.
Les Murray provided a moving and insightful telling of his own experience as a refugee on ABC’s Big Ideas.
I believe any debate on refugee policy is liable to be baseless and arrogant unless it gives some voice to those who have been refugees themselves, and at least considers the experience, vitality, determination and insight that refugees can bring to this country.
@1GMD, I agree, regarding the rights of refugees:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 14:
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
I’d love to jettison all the political correctness, such as:
1) Refugees are coming here illegally
2) Refugees are illegal immigrants
3) Refugees are queue jumpers
4) Boat people are really rich and leaving their more deserving countrymen behind
5) Our country is in danger of being swamped with refugees
6) If someone says something racist that doesn’t mean they’re racist
7) Australians are decent and welcoming people
8) It’s UnAustralian to criticise anything done against refugees
9) We must stop the boats
If we got rid of that political correctness we really could have an open and honest debate. I understand the Coalition using a fear-based campaign to win votes, it’s what they do to the mug punters time and time again, but I fail to understand the thrill of toughness that seems to run through people when saying we’ve gotta send the boats back, we’re being flooded with boat people, blah, blah, blah…. It’s hardly worth running through the facts again, as this is about emotion more than facts, but refugee numbers are very small, and boat people as a percentage of refugees are very small, and they’re not immigrating illegally, they’re coming openly to our borders and asking for protection. It’s very simple, but it’s easier to kick someone when they’re down then beat your chest and say how tough you are than examine the facts.
Yeah I don’t really understand this political correctness claim. I hear racist remarks regarding “boat people” and “queue jumpers” pretty much everyday, especially online.
It looks like both major parties are just going to base their policies on sms polls taken from the Herald-Sun…