Australia under pressure on border protection
Updated
With a steady number of boats arriving in Australian waters carrying asylum seekers, the Rudd government is facing new pressure in an election year on border protection. In defending his government's approach, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has detailed successes in Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka in disrupting people smuggling. But the opposition senses there are votes in portraying the ruling Labor party as being unable or unwilling to take tougher border control measures.
Presenter: Linda Mottram
Speakers: Tony Abbott, Australian Opposition leader; Kevin Rudd, Australian Prime Minister; Brendan O'Connor, Australian Home Affairs minister.
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MOTTRAM: During a recent visit to Australia, an assistant United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appealed to Australian politicians to take the heat out of the refugee debate, and to put the real needs of the world's millions of refugees first. But that's fallen on deaf ears. Tony Abbott is leader of the opposition and the man who would-be Australia's Prime Minister. He's led an attack on the government in Parliamentary question time over Kevin Rudd's 2007 promise to be very tough on people smuggling.
ABBOTT: Prime Minister with 24 boats and over 12-hundred unauthorised arrivals in just the past 10 weeks, isn't his hollow promise of 2007 just the latest example of a government which is all talk and no action. (hear! hear!)
MOTTRAM: All talk and no action is the opposition's broad theme in attacking the government as unfit for re-election. But the opposition's attacks over people smuggling and asylum seekers have their own flavour too, portraying an Australia enduring excessive boat arrivals which may risk national security.
The government in reply repeatedly produces figures showing that more asylum seekers on boats arrived during the years of the previous conservative Howard government, despite that government's much harder line approach.
The Rudd government has also been stressing it's efforts to improve co-operation with Asian states that are transit points for asylum seekers. And Kevin Rudd has produced figures in Parliament to show it's working.
RUDD: The total number of disruptions undertaken by our partners in Indonesia since September 2008 is 107, involving how many people? 2,828, involving 54 separate arrests. In Malaysia 21 disruptions involving 645 people. In Sri Lanka 14 disruptions involving 270 people and 63 arrests. So I'd say to the honourable member in response to his question these are the concrete actions the government is undertaking in it's activities in partnership with our regional partners in South East Asia. It's the practical work which the previous government sought to do from time to time. We'll take appropriate national actions, regional actions and internatoinal actions to deal with a problem which is being confronted by many countries around the world at present.
MOTTRAM: But then the discussion turns to the remaining active Australian detention facility for asylum seekers, the one on Christmas Island in the distant north west of Australian territorial waters. It is at close to capacity, with the government repeatedly expanding the number of beds there in recent months, adding tents for extra accomodation, while asylum seekers housed there have their applications processed.
Amid newspaper claims that Australian border protection authorities are, quote, bracing for the possible arrival of hundreds more people on boats, questions have flared again about whether Christmas Island isn't already just about full. Australia's Home Affairs minister is Brendan O'Connor.
O'CONNOR: It's closer to capacity that we would prefer. As you know, we look to process those people on Christmas Island. For those who are not genuine asylum seekers. They're returned home. Most people are then processed and settled mainly in Australia if they are genuine refugees. That reduces the constraints and therefore we've got more accomodation.
MOTTRAM: And between the at times rancorous Australian political debate on this issue, and the appeal of the UNHCR's top official for a calmer, more humane public discussion, the UNHCR itself may be about to take some pressure off for Australia where settling some asylum claimants is concerned. The UNHCR last week said its finalising new guidelines for Sri Lanka, reflecting improvements there it says. That means some Sri Lankan asylum seekers currently on Christmas Island might find their previously very good chances of being given refugee status could slip away.
