FED:Govt in a corner over boat policy: Bishop

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2011
FED:Govt in a corner over boat policy: Bishop

PERTH, Aug 5 AAP - The federal government has painted itself into a corner with its
"truly awful policy" of sending asylum seeker children to Malaysia, acting opposition
leader Julie Bishop says.

A coalition government would not send any asylum seekers to Malaysia but would reopen
the detention centre on Nauru and continue to protect detainees there, she told reporters
in Perth on Friday.

"The government has painted itself into a corner.

"It either allows unaccompanied children to be taken to Malaysia to an uncertain fate
where the Australian government has no control over what happens to them or the government
caves in to the people smugglers."

Ms Bishop said that either way it was a "diabolical outcome" for asylum seekers and
a bad outcome for Australia.

She said if the coalition was in office it would reopen the Nauru detention centre
which was available and built with Australian taxpayers' dollars.

"We knew where the asylum seekers were 24 hours a day.

"We provided protection and security and the health services and education services."

Ms Bishop said the Nauru option was a far better alternative than the Malaysian solution.

She said Prime Minister Julia Gillard could not guarantee what would happen to asylum
seeker children sent to Malaysia.

"I think it's a truly awful policy."

Ms Bishop said Labor backbenchers who had expressed concern about the Malaysian swap
deal should withdraw their support from the prime minister.

AAP ldj/dg/jnb

KEYWORD: BOAT BISHOP

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