The Shadow Foreign Minister Mr Laurie Brereton last night on the ABC Radio programme PM let the cat out of the bag regarding Labor';s true intentions on asylum seekers.
In the process he raised the prospect of illegal arrivals again being processed on the Australian mainland. He attacked the arrangements made by the Coalition government for illegal boat arrivals to be processed in Pacific island countries. He said the policy had failed. He claimed there is no further capacity in the Pacific
“…I think the Pacific camps are full, so I think that';s an academic question”
Moreover he said that our attempts to establish a centre in Fiji were “disgraceful”.
The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from Mr Brereton';s comments is that under a Labor government Australia would resume processing illegal arrivals on the Australian mainland. Where else could it occur?
When the direct question was put to Mr Brereton:
“Would you let them come here?”
He replied:
“Kim Beazley has indicated that we will certainly be having an inquiry into this.”
Labor naively asserts that if it were to win office it would quickly reach an agreement with Indonesia so that there would be no more illegal boats departing that country.
A Labor government would have no greater prospect of success in this than the Coalition. This has been confirmed as recently as today in the remarks of the former Indonesian Foreign Minister Mr Ali Alatas.
Once again Labor is changing its position on illegal immigration. For the purposes of the election campaign it says its policy is the same as the governments. Yet if it wins office it will radically change our policy thus signalling asylum seekers could again be processed on the Australian mainland?
Such a signal coming from the alternative government will undermine the deterrent effect of the government';s actions over recent weeks.