The Opposition Leader continues to deny the undeniable over his desperate linking of the tragic deaths of 350 asylum seekers and the government’s policy.
He has even tried to deny having ever made such a link. Yet an examination of his own transcript clearly reveals his attempt to exploit a huge tragedy for political purposes.
The following exchange took place between Greg Cary of 4BC Radio and Mr Beazley at 4pm this afternoon:
Cary: “No, going back to what you originally said, though, it nonetheless remains that you did say it was a factor of policy, so do we assume from that that either there’s a wider context in what you said, or that, on the run, you said something that later you would put better?”.
Beazley: “I didn’t say anything. Nothing whatsoever. What I pointed out was that this is an evil trade, it’s an evil trade that has to be stopped and we have to do what is necessary to stop it”.
The Opposition Leader’s claim that “I did not say anything. Nothing whatsoever” is palpably untrue.
During his doorstop interview at the Marriott Hotel this morning, he said “…but it’s a major human tragedy if that has occurred. And that is a very sad thing indeed. What it points to is the failure of policy”.
This allegation of a failure of policy sought directly to link this immense tragedy with government policy.
Subsequently realising that he should not have done this, Mr Beazley has sought to deny his own words. He should have had the courage to admit he was wrong.
Moreover, the Opposition Immigration spokesman, Con Sciacca, exposed his leader’s deceptive behaviour when he admitted on 3AW radio this afternoon to Steve Price that his leader did indicate that the tragic drownings pointed to a failure in government policy.
The Opposition Leader has contemptibly tried to exploit an immense human tragedy to the political advantage of the Labor Party. The more he seeks to explain this away, the more he ensnares himself.
23 October 2001