Post by buzz on May 14, 2006 7:34:58 GMT -5
Barnaby Joyce could vote against Howard's new immigration law
NATIONALS senator Barnaby Joyce has raised concerns that West Papuans with legitimate asylum claims could be left languishing on Nauru for years under the Government's new border protection policy.
Under controversial legislation introduced to Parliament yesterday, asylum seekers arriving by boat will be processed on Nauru or Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, without access to the Australian legal system.
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said those found to be refugees would remain offshore until resettlement to a third country.
But Senator Joyce said legitimate asylum seekers could be stranded for years if they were not accepted by another country.
"Basically the West Papuans should be allowed to come to Australia if they can prove they are persecuted where they come from and have nowhere else to go, otherwise they become stateless people," he said.
He said he reserved his position on whether he would oppose the legislation, which would be defeated in the Senate if one Government senator and all non-government senators voted against it.
Family First senator Steve Fielding is also yet to decide how he will vote but warned it was ludicrous to keep people in detention for years.
Last year nine Afghans were accepted as refugees after more than 3½ years in offshore detention.
The tough new border protection policy was announced in April following a diplomatic row with Jakarta after 42 West Papuans were granted temporary protection visas.
Liberal backbenchers including Victorians Judith Troeth, Petro Georgiou and Russell Broadbent this week told the party room they did not support the plan. They have not indicated if they would cross the floor in a vote or abstain.
Dissenting MPs have claimed the Government is trying to appease Indonesia and the legislation could see children returned to detention. They say the policy breaks an agreement brokered with the Prime Minister last year to inject more compassion into the policy.
But Senator Vanstone said the Government would not allow Australia's strong border protection to be undermined.
"The last thing we want to see is a return of unsafe boats arriving in waves with people crammed in to line the pockets of people smugglers," she said. MPs will debate the proposed laws in June, after a Senate inquiry reports its findings.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday he hopes to meet his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda, in Singapore on Monday, in a bid to heal the asylum seeker rift. He said talks would provide a good opportunity to mend ties.
A spokesman for the West Papua independence campaign, Nick Chesterfield, said Indonesia needed to allow an international forensic team to investigate claims that a student activist was stabbed to death by members of a naval patrol as a group of 21 attempted to flee Indonesia.
NATIONALS senator Barnaby Joyce has raised concerns that West Papuans with legitimate asylum claims could be left languishing on Nauru for years under the Government's new border protection policy.
Under controversial legislation introduced to Parliament yesterday, asylum seekers arriving by boat will be processed on Nauru or Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, without access to the Australian legal system.
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said those found to be refugees would remain offshore until resettlement to a third country.
But Senator Joyce said legitimate asylum seekers could be stranded for years if they were not accepted by another country.
"Basically the West Papuans should be allowed to come to Australia if they can prove they are persecuted where they come from and have nowhere else to go, otherwise they become stateless people," he said.
He said he reserved his position on whether he would oppose the legislation, which would be defeated in the Senate if one Government senator and all non-government senators voted against it.
Family First senator Steve Fielding is also yet to decide how he will vote but warned it was ludicrous to keep people in detention for years.
Last year nine Afghans were accepted as refugees after more than 3½ years in offshore detention.
The tough new border protection policy was announced in April following a diplomatic row with Jakarta after 42 West Papuans were granted temporary protection visas.
Liberal backbenchers including Victorians Judith Troeth, Petro Georgiou and Russell Broadbent this week told the party room they did not support the plan. They have not indicated if they would cross the floor in a vote or abstain.
Dissenting MPs have claimed the Government is trying to appease Indonesia and the legislation could see children returned to detention. They say the policy breaks an agreement brokered with the Prime Minister last year to inject more compassion into the policy.
But Senator Vanstone said the Government would not allow Australia's strong border protection to be undermined.
"The last thing we want to see is a return of unsafe boats arriving in waves with people crammed in to line the pockets of people smugglers," she said. MPs will debate the proposed laws in June, after a Senate inquiry reports its findings.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday he hopes to meet his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda, in Singapore on Monday, in a bid to heal the asylum seeker rift. He said talks would provide a good opportunity to mend ties.
A spokesman for the West Papua independence campaign, Nick Chesterfield, said Indonesia needed to allow an international forensic team to investigate claims that a student activist was stabbed to death by members of a naval patrol as a group of 21 attempted to flee Indonesia.
