Abbott vows to stop asylum seekers

A coalition government would return to a hardline stance on asylum seekers, turning
some boats back and creating a class of visas which don't confer permanent residency
to those granted protection.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott made the Liberal Party's intentions clear in Darwin on
Saturday, warning that at the current rate there was likely to be 5000 asylum
seekers arrive by boat by the end of the year.
He said Labor had inherited a robust and effective border protection system but it
had been progressively unwound, paving the way for the current border crisis.
"I am concerned that people are going to be brought directly to the mainland," he
told reporters.
"And it seems that under Mr Rudd, boat people have got a highway to Australia and
it's no wonder that they keep coming."
Mr Abbott said the opposition had formed a special shadow cabinet committee to
formulate strategies to stop the flow of asylum seeker arrivals, which could be
implemented from day one of a coalition government.
An effective border protection policy required four key elements, starting with a
rigorous commitment to offshore processing, he said.
It would also feature a special visa category for unauthorised arrivals to ensure
that permanent residency was not an automatic right while governments should be
prepared, under the right circumstances, to turn back boats.
"The coalition is committed to pursuing policies based on these principles to ensure
that Australia's borders are safe," Mr Abbott said in a joint statement with
opposition justice and customs spokesman Michael Keenan and immigration spokesman
Scott Morrison.
The coalition committee will comprise Mr Keenan as convenor, Mr Morrison, opposition
deputy leader Julie Bishop, defence spokesman David Johnston, shadow
attorney-general George Brandis, opposition parliamentary secretary Jason Wood and
former coalition immigration minister Philip Ruddock.
But a spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the Rudd government
already did much of what Mr Abbott proposed, while other elements were a return to
discredited coalition policies with which Mr Ruddock was associated.
"It's essentially working back to the Howard policies of the past and we are not
surprised by that," he said.
The spokesman said the government already worked extensively with source countries
and regional nations to stem the flow of asylum seekers while the former Howard
government had tried temporary protection visas - and they proved a dismal failure.
The major point of difference was the proposal to turn boats around, he said.
"Our current policy which we think is working is that we escort boats, if they are
seaworthy, to Christmas Island where their claims are processed."
The most recent boat arrived in Australian waters on Friday evening, the 12th so far
this year.
The vessel, intercepted by a navy patrol boat off Ashmore Island, carried 48
passengers and two crew.
A total of 667 asylum seekers have arrived by boat this year and all have been
transported to Christmas Island for processing.
The government is planning to expand the facility from its current 1800 bed capacity
to 2300.