Turning back the boats the ‘hardest debate’ facing the Labor party

Political editor Malcolm Farr explains what issues Opposition Leader Bill Shorten could face at the ALP National Conference.

The Opposition Leader will argue that case to the ALP national conference on Saturday in what he hopes will be a display of leadership strength and readiness to accept policy reality.

There will be a three-point appeal to the left delegates from supporters of a policy change.

Indeed, in his Herald Sun column, Marles repeated his previous boasts that Labor’s “offshore processing” regime was equally responsible as the Coalition’s “turnbacks” for “actually stopping the boats”. With no faction holding a majority, policies such as how to deal with asylum seekers will be hotly debated.

The problem at the heart of Labor’s border protection policy is that Bill Shorten wants to replicate Tony Abbott’s boats policy without the sharp and ugly edges: the secrecy, the selfishness and the cruelty.

Mr Shorten believes Labor must have the option to include boat turn backs in Labor’s asylum seeker policy if elected to government, conceding that the coalition’s mix has helped defeat people smugglers.

“(Former Liberal prime minister John) Howard created political footballs out of human lives and we have to get above that”, she said.

It’s one thing to scoff at three-word slogans but what can’t be ignored is that “Stop The Boats” has appealed to voters and harmed Labor in some seats. “I’m saying in an election it’s a beauty parade and Mr Abbott’s stuck in the past”, he said.

The ABC has been told Mr Shorten will harden that language and put forward a proposal for the increase this weekend.

“I think that it is absolutely critical, critical that we always remember our need for compassion and to not appeal the darker side”. It is known that 65 asylum seekers almost perished off Indonesia’s coast recently after being forcibly loaded into people smugglers’ boats to be taken away from Australia.

Shadow Immigration Minister Richard Marles wouldn’t answer Neil Mitchell if there was a deep dissent within the party’s factions on the policy. The Abbott government’s “turn-back” operations have remained hidden behind military secrecy, preventing any public scrutiny of how many boats have been intercepted, let alone any resulting losses of life.

Unfortunately for Mr Dutton the proposed Labor policy is close to being a perfect replica of the one he works with.

The Refugee Council of Australia has accused Mr Shorten of “pandering to the politics of fear”.

Peter Dutton has questioned Labor’s unity on asylum seeker policy.