Subjects: Labor’s dismantling of OSB
DANICA DE GIORGIO: Thousands of refugees who have been in limbo will be entitled to stay permanently in Australia. Joining me now live is Shadow Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews. Thanks for your time this morning. This was of course an election promise by Labor. It was always coming. What’s your reaction?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, it’s incredibly disappointing that Labor has seen fit to dismantle Operation Sovereign Borders, and that, quite frankly, is exactly what they have done. Temporary protection visas are a key pillar of Operation Sovereign Borders. So that has now been dismantled. And whilst in this case so far, it applies to a particular cohort. The message that it sends to the people smugglers is quite frankly that Australia is open for business. And we already know that since Labor has been in government, there has been about one boat a month that has had to be intercepted on its way to Australia, as well as countless boats that have been on their way to Australia from Sri Lanka. So, you know, the signs are already there that the people smugglers are eyeing very closely what is happening in Australia. And, now with the dismantling of Operation Sovereign Borders, the people smugglers will be using this latest announcement by Labor to go back out there and try and convince, people that it is worth the risk of getting to Australia because ultimately you may well get a path to permanent residency.
DANICA DE GIORGIO: The government says though, that the TPVs will stay on the statute book. So why would it restart the boats? Is that not disincentive enough?
KAREN ANDREWS: The people smugglers are very closely monitoring what is happening in Australia, and the message from this government has been particularly weak. They have put up in headlines the fact that a certain cohort is going to be able to apply for a permanent pathway to stay here in Australia. That is the message that the people smugglers will pick up. Labor has not been out there very clearly sending a deterrent message. Far from that. They have done everything they can to chip away at what of Operation Sovereign Borders was under the Coalition. Now we saw the Minister for Home Affairs absolutely take her eye off the ball and allow the designation of Nauru as a regional processing country to lapse that was only stitched back into place last week with the support of the Coalition. And then a week later, the next issue in relation to weak borders by Labor is their announcement in relation to temporary protection visas. So no, they are weak on borders.
DANICA DE GIORGIO: So you’re saying that the message from Labor isn’t strong enough, but just clarifying, would you support the move then? If the government can guarantee that anyone who tries to arrive by boat from now on, then they will be given a temporary protection visa?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, they can’t guarantee it and they can’t do it with any credibility because they’ve had one boat that they’ve had to intercept every month since they have been elected on its way here. So their policies have clearly started to reopen the people’s smuggling trade. And, that is really clear because that is more than what happened in nine years under a Coalition government. So the weaknesses are there, they will continue to be exploited. Labor has not come out strongly. They let the designation of Nauru as a regional processing country lapse. What sort of message did that send to the people smugglers? I mean their behaviour and the way that they have been so blase about national security here in Australia is beyond staggering.
DANICA DE GIORGIO: There’s some 19,000 refugees who will be allowed to stay. Now they have been in limbo though since before Operation Borders came into effect. So that’s before 2013. Why can’t they at the very least get some clarity now after so long?
KAREN ANDREWS: The issue is the message that this is sending because Labor cannot say that if you come to Australia by boat, you won’t ever be able to settle here permanently because they’ve just opened the pathway for people who did come in here on boats – illegally. So, there’s a big hole in the policy. So Labor has not been out there defending it. I mean, where are the ministers? I mean, this was an announcement that was clearly put out yesterday, so that it could run in today’s papers. But we’ve seen nothing other than a statement from the ministers responsible. Are they hiding in their offices?
DANICA DE GIORGIO: Alright, so what, what should happen then to the people who came after 2013? So after the operations sovereign border deadline,
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, Operation Sovereign Borders and the three key pillars of it should always have been maintained. And that was the position that we took to the last election as a Coalition. It is still our position and we would not open the door at all under any circumstances to the people smugglers.
DANICA DE GIORGIO: Shadow Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews we’ll leave it there. Thank you for joining us this morning.
KAREN ANDREWS: Pleasure.
ENDS