http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/which-shadow-minister-plays-politics-with-b...

Laurie Oakes questions Julia Gillard on the Nine Network's Today program on Sunday about a press release

I'VE got here a shadow minister's press release headed, "Another boat on the way. Another policy failure." Do you agree that every boat of asylum-seekers that arrives represents a policy failure by the government?

Gillard:
Well, what I believe, Laurie, and what I think we can see from the conduct of the opposition, is they're all about playing politics with this issue. They say a lot of inconsistent things. Some days they're in favour of temporary protection visas. Some days they're against them. Some days they're in favour of the Howard Pacific solution. Some days they're against it. Each and every day they're playing politics.

Oakes:
But what about you? What about you? "Another boat on the way. Another policy failure." Is that right?

Gillard:
Oh well Laurie, I think what Australians know and what the government knows is that we live in a world where people get displaced from their home countries for a variety of reasons. We're seeing the aftermath of a civil war in Sri Lanka, for example, so people move because of that kind of violence. What, obviously, the world wants is for people, if they have to flee their homes, to then stop when they can get in contact with responsible authorities, like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and have their claims processed. What we don't want is we don't want people risking long anddangerous journeys overseas where they might get into distress and get into real difficulty.

Oakes:
You see, that press statement is dated April 23, 2003, and it's issued by then shadow minister Julia Gillard. So why is one boat arrival then a failure of government policy, but 30-plus arrivals this year is not a failure of government policy?

Gillard:
Well, Laurie, I think what we know is we live in a world where people do end up displaced for a variety of reasons.

adelcrow wrote on Dec 30^th, 2012 at 4:30pm:



Of course you need reminding given the amount of time you spend on the dole queue or in brothels

You agreed and voted to go to war

Maqqa wrote on Dec 30^th, 2012 at 4:37pm:


So..you're blaming Labor for the refugee problem sweeping the globe so it should be easy for you to fill us in on how they are to blame for it.

Bogan haters gotta hate and victimize.... 

Innocent bystander wrote on Dec 30^th, 2012 at 7:54pm:

That, amongst some pretty poor policies just for this labor, has to be the worst policy I have EVER seen from any party at any time.

Worse still Gillards own department of immigration states that 95% will still be on welfare after five years, they come here to sponge pure and simple and the labor party arseholes roll out the red carpet for them to do so.

progressiveslol wrote on Dec 30^th, 2012 at 9:23pm:


Exactly. Push factors are long gone. It's all about pull factors now...

Armchair_Politician wrote on Dec 30^th, 2012 at 9:32pm:



All these are push factors

Jews seeking refuge from war-torn Europe in the 1930s. That is way the UN Refugee Convention brought into force.  Tutsis seeking refuge from Rwanda, Kurds seeking refuge from Iraq, and still going on. Hazaras seeking refuge from the Taliban in Afghanistan here is another push factor that is still happen to this day, and many others.

Now before you post your bullshyte do a little bit of research.