Turnbull`s border policy chaotic: Rudd

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has rebuffed accusations he finally declared a recession
to divert attention from the growing number of boat arrivals of asylum seekers.
Mr Rudd instead turned his attack onto the opposition, dismissing its border
protection policy as a shambles that could be summed up in three words: "chaos,
confusion, and opportunism".
During a visit to Perth on Tuesday, Mr Rudd also announced that Indonesia had
approved the extradition to Australia of alleged serial people smuggler Hadi Ahmadi.
And Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull was forced to backtrack after Monday's outcry
by several Liberal backbenchers and refugee groups over his comment that a return to
Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) should be "high on the agenda".
Mr Turnbull repeated his offer to sit down with Mr Rudd to find a workable policy on
border protection, saying Labor's softening of the Howard government policy had led
to a sharp increase in boat arrivals.
The issue appears to have polarised public opinion with a Newspoll published in The
Australian newspaper on Tuesday showing 40 per cent of people believe the government
is doing a bad job handling the issue compared to 37 per cent who say it is doing a
good job.
But only 36 per cent of people polled believe tighter immigration laws will reduce
the number of asylum seekers, compared to 57 per cent who believe a law change will
make no difference.
The police investigation continues into the explosion of the boat SIEV 36 last
Thursday which killed five Afghan men and injured more than 30 others near Ashmore
Reef off Australia's northwest coast.
Northern Territory police began interviewing three of the survivors of the 13th
vessel to have made it to Australian waters since September.
The Department of Immigration said on Tuesday the men had been released from Darwin
Hospital over the weekend and were being interviewed by officers from the NT force
and the Australian Federal Police.
NT police also said their investigation team at the reef were to return to Darwin
early on Wednesday with debris from the explosion, which will be examined at police
forensic labs at Berrimah in Darwin.
Mr Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan rejected opposition claims that the government's
admission on Monday that Australia will be dragged into recession was an attempt to
deflect attention away from Labor's border protection policy.
Mr Rudd welcomed Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's approval of the
extradition of dual Iraqi-Iranian citizen and alleged people smuggler Ahmadi,
following an application from Australia.
"This is a major and very welcome development in the fight against people
smuggling," the prime minister said.
The extradition approval follows the third prosecution this year of a people
smuggler in Perth last Friday.
Mr Rudd said Ahmadi was accused of organising four boat arrivals into Australia in
2001 which carried a total of 900 asylum seekers.
He said it was clear the opposition could not get its act together on matters of
immigration policy.
By contrast, he said, his government's policy on asylum seekers had been consistent.
"This approach on the Australian government's part stands in absolute contrast with
the shambles on border protection policy we see from Mr Turnbull and the Liberals.
"Chaos, confusion and opportunism. That's what we see from dawn till night with
every statement by the Liberal Party on border protection policy."
Liberal backbenchers Judi Moylan from Western Australia, Petro Georgiou and Russell
Broadbent from Victoria, and former NSW federal Liberal backbencher Bruce Baird all
argued against a return of TPVs.
Mr Baird said on Tuesday it was "not on" to resurrect the visas, designed to make
permanent residency status harder to obtain for people who arrive by boat.
"We have moved on as a country. We have recognised the injustice of the previous
system, and that's the way it should be," Mr Baird said.
Mr Turnbull attempted to play down the issue and said one thing everyone agreed on
was that the government's border protection policies had failed.
"He (Mr Rudd) said that he would be very strong and disciplined and tough on border
protection. He said not long before the election he'd turn the boats back," Mr
Turnbull said.
"Well, ever since he changed the policies in August last year the boats have been
coming in accelerating numbers.
"We've had nearly twice as many unlawful arrivals since August as we've had in the
previous six years."