SA Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas urges closure of Nauru immigration centre

SA OPPOSITION Leader Peter Malinauskas has urged the closure of Australia’s immigration processing centre on Nauru, branding it “a complete disgrace and a stain on our nation”.

SA OPPOSITION Leader Peter Malinauskas has urged the closure of Australia’s immigration processing centre on Nauru, branding it “a complete disgrace and a stain on our nation”.

Labor heavyweights will converge on Adelaide in December for its national conference, where there’s expected to be a push to create a clear point of difference with current policy.

Mr Malinauskas on Monday told ABC Radio he was very much looking forward to the meeting, and hoped it would be a chance to “get this policy right”.

He said the centre on Nauru “absolutely” should be closed down, and people held there given more certainty.

“They haven’t committed a crime,” he said.

“I don’t think it is a good thing for our nation to be having people in indefinite detention without any certainty of their prospects.

“I don’t think it’s a sustainable position. I think it’s been largely a disgrace in the way that some of these people have been left in legal limbo.”

Mr Malinauskas said he would be advocating for the party to develop a “thought through, considered policy” to enable fast action should Labor win the coming federal election.

“That means having a pretty certain timeline about when it is that we expect people to be off Nauru,” he said.

“I don’t know any Australian that likes the idea of people being stuck on Nauru with indefinite detention. “It’s about making sure that these people are provided some sort of certainty and opportunity to have a life.”

The federal Labor Party’s website states that its “policy on asylum seekers is clear” and “we will never let the people smugglers back in business”.

“Labor believes in strong borders, offshore processing, regional resettlement, and turnbacks when safe to do so because we know it saves lives at sea,” the policy states.

“This is the policy Labor took to the last federal election and remains our policy.

“Manus Island and Nauru were set up as temporary regional processing centres but have become places of indefinite detention.

“Labor has called on the Liberal Government to accept New Zealand’s offer to resettle eligible refugees from Manus and Nauru.”