50 Abbott boats
Monday, 11 June 2012
Joint media release with Chris Bowen MP - Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Jason Clare MP - Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Justice and Minister for Defence Materiel.
Tony Abbott will still vote no to legislation which would allow offshore processing despite 50 boats arriving since the coalition refused to work with the government to implement offshore processing in Malaysia and Nauru.
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, and Minister for Home Affairs, Jason Clare MP, said Mr Abbott's continued negativity had real consequences for boat arrivals.
'All we hear from Mr Abbott is 'no' – 'no' to breaking the people smugglers' business model and 'no' to legislation enabling offshore processing in Nauru and Malaysia,' Mr Bowen said.
'This destructive negativity must stop before we lose more lives at sea as a result of dangerous boat journeys.'
'We have a solution. It is called offshore processing. Tony Abbott is stopping it being implemented,' Mr Clare said.
'If Tony Abbott is really concerned about people smugglers give us the power to put them out of business.' No one will pay them $10 000 to be sent back to Malaysia.
'Tony Abbott knows this - he wants more boats to come because he thinks it will mean more votes for him.' That is why he is stopping the Government from passing laws to put people smugglers out of business.
'We can stop this now. Tony Abbott just has to stop opposing laws that will put the people smugglers out of business.'
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/cb/2012/cb187423.htm
Last update: Tuesday, 12 June 2012 at 10:56 AEST