Question re our Asylum Seeker Policy

[izabsmiling]

Did Scott Morrison say that tow-backs were never part of the Coalitions Asylum Seeker Policy ?

and is that the truth or a lie ?

[cherry*135]

We cannot escape from the fact that they are Indonesian boats with Indonesian crews from Indonesian ports. Of course, you can return them to Indonesia.” – Shadow foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop, Q&A, 15 July.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has made the same point as Bishop, telling ABC’s 7.30 recently that “the facts are that these are Indonesian crewed, Indonesian flagged, Indonesian home-ported vessels that have a right to access Indonesia”.

Abbott and Bishop have made these comments in the context of proposals to “push back” asylum-seeker boats to the edge of Indonesian territorial waters. They had said this will take place whether or not Indonesia specifically agrees.

The Conversation - July 2013

[cherry*135]

They were spruiking this stuff pre election.... before they had a policy for it.

[cherry*135]

October 5

Coalition negotiates steep learning curve

TONY Abbott and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison have learned more this week about the realities of the asylum-seeker challenge than they could ever glean in opposition.

Both are on a steep learning curve as they make the transition from the chest-thumping unilateralists of the election campaign into decision-makers who must confront the limits of power as well as its potential.

......But Abbott's visit succeeded because he saw the wisdom of strategic retreat, choosing to co-opt rather than confront Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on asylum-seekers. 

Gone was the strident opposition leader pledging to turn back boats, buy back boats and offer bounties to Indonesians. In his place was Abbott as deferential statesman, promising "total respect for Indonesia's sovereignty, total respect for Indonesia's territorial integrity".

Abbott used the visit to effectively shed some of the silly parts of the Coalition's asylum policies, while all but apologising for Labor's grave mismanagement of the issue and for his party's unilateralist rhetoric while in opposition. 

The Coalition has all but retreated from the poorly considered policies of directly buying asylum-seeker boats from Indonesian fishermen and paying Indonesians for information on people-smugglers.

Both policies upset Jakarta and, in addition to the contentious policy of turning around boats, contributed to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa's warning ahead of Abbott's visit that "unilateral" actions by Australia could threaten bilateral co-operation on people-smuggling.

The most contentious bilateral asylum-seeker issue - Abbott's pledge to turn back boats - was left unresolved but it was downplayed, with Natalegawa describing it as a "technical issue". 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/coalition-negotiates-steep-learning-curve/story-fn5...

[freakiness]

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@catmad*2013 wrote:

lol.. they will tow them back to international waters.. not to bloody Indonesia... 

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There were times that he did say they would tow them back to Indonesia, until the interviewers started pointing out that that would against international laws, then it became into Indonesian waters or just out of ours.  Anywhere, as long as they don't seek refuge in this vast land.

[*ibis]

he did say they would tow them back to Indonesia,````````````

where?

i dont have nbn may be you could help a poor boy out

[poddster]

This island country is vast, there is no doubt about that. It could hold many millions of that there is no doubt either.

So at what number would you draw the line?10,000 .....100,000...... 1,000,000 ?

Oh that right they would all have to be provided for.

So what is the magic limit?

10,000 and what happens to number 10,001?

In or out?

What would you say to the relaxation of the border policy on the proviso that they have to fund their own way with no benefit extended to them?

If they wanted shelter and food they would have to buy it just like everyone else in Australia..

Do you think that there would be the same influx of "asylum seekers"?

[izabsmiling]

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@catmad*2013 wrote:

Morrison said the Coalition had “never had a policy of towing boats back to Indonesia” and blamed “misrepresentation over a long period of time” in the media for that impression.

this was a lie sprouted by the left wing campaigners... the Coalition never said they would tow back boats to Indonesia... never... 

You can't do that... once out of our waters we have no say in what happens to the boats. We can turn back any boat that does not have permission to be in our waters. We often turn back boats that come into our waters to fish.. their catch is taken from what I understand and they are sent packing. We have every right to do that.

I have never heard the Coalition say that they will go into international waters, or into Indonesian waters, to tow a boat back to Indonesian ports... that is a total Furphy. 

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as can already be seen  the Coalition  claiming 'never' is a lie

and stating/blaming media misrepresentation over a long period of time is also a lie

why not be honest ?

oh and here is this from the Liberal website 

TRANSCRIPT OF THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MHR,

INTERVIEW WITH STEVE PRICE,

RADIO MTR, MELBOURNE

Subjects: Labor's tax forum; border protection; Craig Thomson; whaling.

STEVE PRICE:

I notice the Opposition spokesman Michael Keenan last night on Sky talking again about towing boats back to Indonesia. Is that really a viable option?

TONY ABBOTT:

It's happened before and…

STEVE PRICE:

Well, you did it what, 11 times in government?

TONY ABBOTT:

That's my understanding…

STEVE PRICE:

I think 11 or seven, I might be wrong on the figure.

ONY ABBOTT:

Well, we didn't make a big fanfare about it, Steve, because if you want to get things done in Indonesia you don't in the process humiliate the Indonesian government and this is the difficulty with the Rudd-Gillard approach.

STEVE PRICE:

But how does boat towing work in practice?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, that's the kind of operational question that would have to be worked out by the commander on the spot and I'm not going to set myself up as an expert, but what's been done in the past can under the right conditions be done again in the future.

STEVE PRICE:

So you would intercept boats in international waters, check that they are seaworthy and try and either convince them to turn around and go back from where they came or attach a rope and tow them back?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, as I said Steve, I'm not going to get into the precise operational details because that would be a matter for the commanders on the spot but it's been done in the past, successfully done in the past and what was done in the past can be done again in the future.

[izabsmiling]

from Tony Abbott

He said reporting of some of the Coalition's policies had been overblown - scotching suggestions the Coalition had ever intended to tow back asylum-seeker boats to Indonesia. "Our policy, which we have repeated until we are blue in the face, is that we reserve the right to turn boats around where it's safe to do so. There is a lot of difference between turning boats around in Australian waters and the Australian navy towing them back to Indonesia.

"There is just a world of difference and, if I may say so, there has been a tendency of people to put to other people what is not the Coalition's policy in an attempt to, I think, generate a headline rather than constructively address this issue.

- See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/tony-abbott-enlists-jakarta-on-asylum-boats/...

 they have in the past intended to tow boats to Indonesia 

[izabsmiling]

Andrew Bolt is writing about this 'how the abc framed Tony Abbott'....

the abc ? 

the article below is not from the abc...neither are the words 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Goulburn Post 

Election 2013 , Hot Election Issues

May 6th 3013

Libs Talk up border protection credentials 

Shadow Minister  Michael Keenan;

“I understand the criticisms but ultimately I think the most humanitarian policy we can pursue is to stop people smuggling because it has resulted in hundreds of deaths and it is something we must close down.”

The Shadow Minister also disputed claims that their policy of towing back boats would lead to diplomatic issues with Indonesia, saying they acquiesced last time and would again.

http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/1480331/libs-talk-up-border-protection-credentials/

[izabsmiling]

from your post Am3

October 5

Coalition negotiates steep learning curve

TONY Abbott and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison have learned more this week about the realities of the asylum-seeker challenge than they could ever glean in opposition.

How timely.....after conning Australia into believing in them 

and into feeling that the previous Government had failed as a Government because of  this very issue which they made a huge one.

They are now apparently learning the realities of the asylum seeker challenge ? 

Voters may have trustingly believed that they already knew those ..when the Coalition made their Federal Election promises .