Lots of hysteria around borders today as the Coalition friends set up for another Tampa election. Paul Kelly personifies the neurosis nicely:
Labor has changed its stance, its policy and its heart on border protection. This is the enduring element in the present dramas. It is high-risk politics and misconceived policy by Bill Shorten that ensures border protection will be elevated as a frontline issue for the election.
The amended bill passed in the house late yesterday is irresponsible and weakens Australia’s border protection and seeks to impose on the minority Morrison government a new policy that the government has declared would endanger the nation’s interests.
It constitutes an extraordinary conflict between the executive and the parliament over border controls and raises the prospect of people coming to Australia because of decisions made by doctors in defiance of our government.
Lots of over the top adjectives there. Let’s recall what the bill does:
- offers medical evacuation for 1000 current rotting refugees turned political prisoners and
- limits that regime to only those currently incarcerated.
That’s it.
But what it does do as well is make Labor vulnerable in the event that another boat arrives quickly. Not in the real world of course but that left our shores long ago. But in the fake world, the Scummo Government will then have the opportunity to argue that it is the first signs of a returning flood owing to Labor’s soft touch on borders. This is the political gamble in the legislation, that it will stimulate another “children overboard” fake news election.
I’m not sure why the Murdoch hacks and their Coalition flunkies should wait on fake news chance. Why not band together to crowd fund a new Tampa. Remember to get some kids thrown overboard too. There are plenty of starving Indo fishermen to pick on the cheap.
Although it will cost a bit extra, footage of them being eaten by sharks would be brilliant. A bit of burly and all that. Vague rumours of throwing the kids in these days is a bit passe.
