Election eve run-down

Well. At least all the ads have stopped now.

Finding something positive to say about the current Federal election campaign has become more difficult the longer it has gone on, such that many are just thankful it all ends – one way or another – tomorrow evening.
So much talk, so little debate. So many policy announcements, so little real change that supporters of either major party can expect from September 9.

That sameness of the Labor and Coalition positions is particularly true when it comes to the issue of asylum seekers. As our Election 2013 Report Card shows, the two major parties are aligned across all but a handful of potential policy options. They’re still looking to detain and process asylum seekers who arrive by boat, despite the fact that there is precious little evidence to suggest that this deters future asylum seekers from travelling by sea. And they still want to detain them in secretive offshore detention camps with extremely limited health and welfare services, despite the costly budget blowouts that these programs have experienced and the further lack of evidence of their real deterrent value.

The Refugee Council of Australia takes a more in-depth look at the stated policy differences here. For many observers however, these just boil down to whether the guy ultimately in charge is wearing a uniform or a public service lanyard.

The Greens’ asylum seeker policy does manage to tick all of the ASRC ‘s boxes. It advocates for a welcome overhaul of Australia’s asylum seeker and refugee arrangements with minimal detention, more rights, and greater opportunities for asylum seekers regardless of how they arrive in Australia.

Moving on to other parties – let’s call them “the major minor parties” – and you have a wide range of policy positions.

Katter’s Australia Party (KAP) is all about succinctness. By combining “asylum seekers” and “border protection” in the same policy statement, readers can be fairly certain of where it stands before actually delving in. The party does acknowledge the significant expense that goes into the current inhumane strategies of deterrence, but fails to suggest any potential sustainable solution.

“Subject to an initial security and health screening, KAP would require that if asylum seekers are to be granted temporary visas, they only be allowed to enter the community on strict social contracts that compel them to close monitoring”

Still in Queensland, the Palmer United Party is advocating for a safer, government-sanctioned option for asylum seekers – allowing them to come by air for the cost of a plane ticket.

“If a person seeking entry into Australia was allowed to board a plane, they wouldn’t need to pay the people smugglers. Any person would require their valid passport to board the flight, so when arriving, we would know who they are and where they come from.” Makes sense to us, Clive.

The Australian Sex Party does not include asylum seekers in its list of national policy positions, but has indicated it is opposed to the automatic detaining of asylum seekers. Instead, it advocates for a greater focus on why people are fleeing persecution in the first place, something that also earns it a few ticks from the ASRC.

Family First also makes no mention of asylum seekers in its policies.

The Christian Democratic Party would like to see priority given to refugee applicants “most likely to readily integrate into the Australian way of life, including those who are being persecuted for their Christian faith”. Regardless, it supports the continued mandatory detention policy for those in Australia “without authority”.

And the Democratic Labour Party says it has agonised over its policy, which is centred around “ensuring Australia is protected and refugees are given opportunities for a better future and lifestyle”. It suggests working more closely with Indonesia to reduce boat arrivals, while increasing the humanitarian intake of immigrants from that country specifically. Under its plan, Indonesia would also be penalised (in terms of foreign aid) for every boat that arrives in Australia from its territory.

It’s certainly a mixed bag, but with each of these minor major parties fighting for potential senate seats in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, there is a potential for one or more of them to influence a new debate – regardless of which major party takes government tomorrow night.

About the author:

Paul Howell is a freelance business journalist and communications consultant, based in Melbourne. 

Disclaimer:

All posts are the opinion of the individual author. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre does not edit or review posts prior to publishing.