Federal election 2022: Asylum seekers and forests dangerous territory for the Labor Party

Stopping asylum-seeker boats and saving Tasmania’s forests are exactly where the Liberals want to be and it’s dangerous ground for the Labor Party, writes Ellen Whinnett.

Tuning in to the duelling press conferences on the campaign trail on Thursday, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a re-run of the 2001 or 2004 election campaigns — stopping the asylum-seeker boats and either saving (or investing in) Tasmania’s forests and timber industry.

This is exactly where the Liberals want to be, and has proven in the past to be dangerous, and even election-losing ground, for the Labor Party.

While no fatal damage was done to Labor on Thursday, it was a brutal reminder of how effective the Liberal machine is at sniffing out and exploiting perceived Labor weaknesses.

First, Labor leader Anthony Albanese, giving his strongest performance since his brain-fade on Monday, was asked a question about whether he would support offshore processing of asylum-seekers. He replied that they would not be needed, because “we’ll turn boats back.’’

While Labor has no plans to change its support of the Coalition’s tough border policies, Albanese needed to be clearer in his statement.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese visits Mount Thorley Warkworth mine in regional New South Wales on day 4 of the federal election campaign. Picture: Toby Zerna

The Coalition quickly seized upon the sliver of daylight between the policy and Albanese’s words, with Defence Minister Peter Dutton claiming people smugglers would be “leaping off their couch’’ in glee.

Morrison accused Albanese of being a “weathervane’’ and flip-flopping on the issue, and used it as an opportunity to talk up his own success in stopping the boats when he was immigration minister back in the Abbott Government days.

What Albanese actually said yesterday was: “Turning boats back means that you don‘t need offshore detention.’’

He later reinforced he would continue to support offshore processing centres.

Then it was on to forests. Labor didn’t get drawn into this one.

But Morrison, campaigning in the marginal Liberal seat of Bass in Northern Tasmania, announced more than $200 million for the timber industry, including a new research hub in Launceston.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits Neville Smith Forest Products is Tasmania in the electorate of Bass today. Picture: Jason Edwards

Appearing in the yard of a timber company, Morrison stated “we’re making sure we don’t support any shutdown of state forest industries … we will not support any shutdowns of native forestry.’’

No-one is calling for a shutdown of native forestry of state forest industries, but Morrison appeared to be getting in a pre-emptive strike.

To rewind 20 years, this is how it went down last time.

In 2001, former Liberal prime minister John Howard was campaigning in Launceston, seeking a third term.

It was two months after the September 11 terror attacks, and national security was a hot issue. In August of that year, a Norwegian container ship, MV Tampa, had rescued 433 mainly Afghan asylum-seekers from a stranded fishing boat which had set sail from Indonesia.

Then-prime minister John Howard with Liberal candidate for seat of Bass Tony Benneworth is confronted by local Mark Bye during unplanned street walk through Launceston Plaza while on campaign trail for the 2001 federal election. Picture: John Feder

Howard refused to allow the Tampa to bring the asylum-seekers to Australia and even dispatched 45 members of the SAS, who were photographed motoring out to the vessel, which was denied permission to dock at Christmas Island.

The asylum seekers were eventually taken to the Pacific Island of Nauru, and Australia’s border protection policies were toughened up.

In Launceston on November 2 that year, Howard gave a speech which declared “we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.’’

The statement gained national notoriety, the sentiment was embraced, and Howard won the election.

The Green's Jeremy Ball speaks to Opposition Leader Mark Latham in Launceston on the campaign trail in 2004.

Three years later, in the final week of the campaign in 2004, Howard turned the election on its head when he outfoxed then-Labor leader Mark Latham on forests.

Latham had travelled to Tasmania, posed for pictures with Green MP Bob Brown in a logged old-growth forest, and after a game of chicken with Howard, blinked first and announced a policy to protect up to 240,000 hectares of Tasmanian old-growth forests.

It went down a treat in inner-city Sydney and Melbourne but caused uproar in Tasmania. Timber workers blockaded Hobart in their log-trucks, and then-premier, Labor’s Paul Lennon, was so appalled, it’s said he refused to allow Latham to hold his policy announcement in the Government buildings in Hobart. Latham had to hire a hotel boardroom instead on the Hobart waterfront.

John Howard greets a forestry worker after announcing his Tasmanian forestry policy in Launceston in 2004. Picture: AAP Image/Alan Porritt

The next day, Howard went to Launceston, where he held a press conference in a hotel and announced a few million dollars for the campaign to save the Tasmanian devils, who were suffering a mysterious disease.

Just down the road in Launceston’s beautiful City Park, 3000 timber workers, many of them members of the CFMEU, were rallying against the Labor policy. With just a few minutes notice, Howard suddenly decided he was going to the timber rally. It happened so quickly, the journalists at his press conference ran out the door and sprinted to the park a few blocks away, Howard’s staff members running alongside the pack.

About 1000 timber workers, many of who had been enjoying beers on the warm spring day, crammed into the neighbouring Albert Hall, where an extraordinary spectacle unfolded. Howard shared the stage with Labor member for the marginal seat of Lyons, Dick “Grizzly’’ Adams.

The high-vis clad timber workers, including CFMEU members, cheered for Howard when he announced a policy which would protect up to 170,000 hectares of old growth forest. The fine print indicated much of it was on inaccessible land, and wouldn’t have been logged anyway. A picture of a timber worker hugging Howard became the defining image of the campaign. And Howard won the election, again

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Originally published as Federal election 2022: Asylum seekers and forests dangerous territory for the Labor Party