Excise the badlands

In August 2006 the Howard Government tried to introduce Legislation that would excise the Mainland of Australia from the Migration zone. This was aborted after a bitter attack over this from the then Opposition. Some of these arguments are below

CHRIS Bowen, in opposition, August 10, 2006:
(our current Immigration Minister)

THIS is a bad bill (Excision of the Mainland) with no redeeming features. It is a hypocritical and illogical bill. If it is passed today, it will be a stain on our national character … If it is passed, it will be repealed by an incoming Labor government. Decency and self-respect as a nation would demand nothing less.

Labor MP Tony Burke, Hansard, August 9, 2006:
(now Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities)

AUSTRALIA is better than this bill. The legislation before us today undermines our sovereignty, is offensive to our decency and makes a mockery of this parliament … Labor is going to oppose this bill in every way, and we will oppose it at every stage … The bill before us is wrong – it is just plain wrong. Labor will not have anything to do with it.

Labor’s Simon Crean, August 10, 2006:

LABOR opposes it outright. There is nothing you can do to this excision bill that will fix it. We do not seek to amend it; we will oppose it in its entirety. The bill is shameful and xenophobic … The bill in effect surrenders our borders in the name of protecting them. It is a ludicrous proposition. It says that we defend ourselves by shrinking ourselves … It seeks to legislate away a problem by creating a legal fiction: excising Australia from Australia by pretending that for asylum-seekers Australia does not exist – terra incognita indeed. This is a foolish nonsense. It is worse than that, though. It is a vindictive and vicious measure to take against unfortunate and desperate people. It does nothing to secure our borders and returns to the government’s old policy of deterrence and punishment based on fear. It is a bill that should be opposed.

Labor’s Anthony Albanese, August 2006:

TODAY this parliament is debating a bill that reduces us as a parliament and as a nation … This bill is wrong in principle and it is wrong in motivation … This bill is a disgraceful shirking of responsibility by Australia and it must be rejected. The Australian Labor Party rejects it … I urge the house to reject this abhorrent legislation.

Labor’s Peter Garrett, August 2006:

But what of those people who are genuine refugees, who experience persecution, violence or intimidation and who come by sea? Are they to be denied the same rights and opportunities to be consistently and properly processed that would otherwise be the case and, in this instance, simply because they hail from Papua. This is a callous and contradictory policy. It was framed on the run, as represented in this bill, by a government unsure of how to prudently manage a critical relationship but willing to add to its already disgraceful track record in immigration and to escape, for the time being, the consequences of its actions.

But I have some confidence that Australians will not tolerate for much longer a government for whom principles and compassion have no meaning. It is a government that lacks the confidence in its institutions, in its own laws and in its own officials to allow events to take their course, as they ought. It is a government that lacks confidence in what its proper place in the region is. It is a government that has no idea of what Australia’s primary values are—a commitment to equality before the law, a commitment to respect human rights and a commitment to give those who seek sanctuary a fair go within the accepted, identified and legally consistent instruments, laws and regulations that exist in this country and that have served us well. A government that so betrays its own values is a government that is no longer worthy of representing the people of Australia. This bill must be opposed.

Now they are in Government, they have had another brilliant flashback and stolen another Coalition Policy, they have had different thoughts:

Immigration Minister Bowen on Sky News’ Agenda yesterday: 30 October 2012.

WHAT this does is to remove a very perverse incentive for people to continue on boats to try and make (it to the) mainland to stop them being processed in another country. We’re trying to save people’s lives here … It’s a very significant message … This is the only responsible thing to do.

Chris Bowen in a interview with Sabra Lane ABC Radio Australia 31 October 2012

CHRIS BOWEN: I’ve changed my mind Sabra. A couple of points I’d like to make:

Firstly, yes, this is a change of position. Yes, you can go back and look at what I said as an opposition backbencher a long time ago and you can compare it what I’m doing now as Minister for Immigration. That’s perfectly legitimate.

And I’ve changed the Labor Party’s position and I’ve changed my mind based on the evidence, based on the recommendation of the Houston panel and based on the evidenced that this will save lives.

If I’ve got a choice between being consistent with something I said six years ago and saving somebody’s life, well I’ll save somebody’s life.

Secondly, this is part of an integrated package unlike this one-off measure that the Howard government proposed in 2006.

SABRA LANE: This bill that you’re introducing though today really relates though to a small percentage of the overall problem…

CHRIS BOWEN: Yes.

SABRA LANE: Not many people actually make it to the mainland.

CHRIS BOWEN: That’s correct.

SABRA LANE: Is this more about sounding tough?

I will leave it at that as we will all be sick of Bowen’s lies, because that is all his excuses are, you don’t change your mind if you believe this If “it is passed, it will be repealed by an incoming Labor government. Decency and self-respect as a nation would demand nothing less”.

And then on top of this Albanese claiming “The Australian Labor Party rejects it … I urge the house to reject this abhorrent legislation”. He is now supporting the Legislation they are now about to table. Again more than just a change of mind.

And Tony Burke was so against this Legislation he stated:
“undermines our sovereignty, is offensive to our decency and makes a mockery of this parliament , …..Labor will not have anything to do with it”.
Well he seems to have had some sort of epiphany also.

So we can rely on Simon Crean to be a man of his word can’t we?
“It is a vindictive and vicious measure to take against unfortunate and desperate people. It does nothing to secure our borders and returns to the government’s old policy of deterrence and punishment based on fear. It is a bill that should be opposed.”
Wow, who are these people, they can’t be the same people that were so disgusted with this only 6 years ago.

Let’s give Peter Garrett the last say here, this great humanitarian that is supporting this bill, must obviously supported it 6 years ago if it was going to save lives?
”It is a government that has no idea of what Australia’s primary values are ….a commitment to equality before the law, a commitment to respect human rights and a commitment to give those who seek sanctuary a fair go within the accepted, identified and legally consistent instruments, laws and regulations that exist in this country and that have served us well. A government that so betrays its own values is a government that is no longer worthy of representing the people of Australia. This bill must be opposed.

I knew we could trust Garrett to leave us with the one evident fact and that is “A government that so betrays its own values is a government that is no longer worthy of representing the people of Australia.”