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Bill Shorten stops short of backing Labor leaders' calls to let asylum seekers stay




Photo: Bill Shorten says federal Labor is committed to offshore processing. (AAP)

Bill Shorten stops short of backing Labor leaders' calls to let asylum seekers stay

By Stephanie Anderson

8 Feb 2016,

(Translation of this article appears in Arabic section)

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has stopped short of backing calls from state Labor leaders for a group of asylum seekers to remain in Australia.

More than 260 people, including 37 babies, are facing the prospect of being sent back to Nauru in the wake of last week's High Court judgement, which upheld offshore immigration detention.

Federal Labor senators joined forces with Coalition politicians last week to vote down a Greens motion to grant amnesty, in contrast to calls for compassion from state Labor leaders.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill have called on the Federal Government to allow the asylum seekers to remain in Australia, with both writing directly to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has also pledged to take more asylum seekers during an exchange on social media.

Mr Shorten said that he shared the frustration of his state counterparts, but emphasised the Coalition had "dropped the ball on processing people".

He told reporters last night that federal Labor remained committed to regional processing.

"I believe that regional processing provides the best long-term sustainable solution," he said.

"But Malcolm Turnbull, if he doesn't want to resettle people here, he needs to do something about what's happening in Manus and Nauru."

Mr Turnbull has described the situation as "very delicate", saying yesterday that the transfer of the 267 asylum seekers would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

He told the ABC there were "no policy options available in terms of border protection which are not tough which cannot be described as harsh".

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop declined to weigh in on the issue, saying it was up to the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to engage with the state leaders.

The Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Michael Pezzullo, today said "moral lecturing" about asylum seekers was unhelpful.

Mr Pezzullo told Senate Estimates that the offshore processing system was working effectively.

"No amount of moral lecturing by those who seem not to comprehend the negative consequences of an open borders policy will bring forth solutions," he said.

"Yielding to emotional gestures in this area of public administration simply reduces the margin for discretionary action."


 














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