Anthony Albanese forced to clarify new comments about asylum seekers

Anthony Albanese has had to correct his position on Labor’s border policy again after giving conflicting answers on the campaign trail. See how it unfolded.

A hard-of-hearing Anthony Albanese has again been forced to clarify Labor’s boats policy after he accidentally reversed the party’s stance on temporary protection visas.

Labor has long been against the Coalition’s refusal to grant permanent protection to refugees who arrived by boat before Operation Sovereign Borders began in 2013, but on Sunday Mr Albanese said the opposite.

After an Easter Sunday mass in Cairns in far north Queensland, the Labor leader

was asked if he supported both the operation and “the retention of temporary

protection visas (TPVs),” to which he replied: “yes”.

Less than 10 minutes later, Mr Albanese realised the error and reappeared before the travelling media pack to correct his gaffe.

“Earlier on I heard half the question, and didn’t hear all of it,” he said.

“Labor’s policy is to support Operation Sovereign Borders, we support offshore

processing, we support resettlement to third countries, we don’t support temporary

protection visas.”

It’s the second poorly-worded response Mr Albanese has delivered on border protection in

less than a week, having had to clarify comments he made on Thursday which

suggested Labor would not need offshore processing.

“Turning boats back means that you don’t need offshore detention,” Mr Albanese

said during a visit to the Hunter in NSW.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese outside St Monica’s Cathedral in Cairns. Picture: Toby Zerna

A few hours later he fronted cameras again to pledge Labor’s ongoing support for

offshore detention, noting it was less likely to be used if boat turnbacks were

successful.

Mr Morrison said he was not going to speak to Mr Albanese’s “further confusion” on borders, but argued TPVs were an important element of the policy.

“There have always been three elements,” he said.

“Turning boats back under Operation Sovereign Borders and the command system we put around that … offshore processing, ensuring that people are not having the opportunity to be able to come and settle in Australia, and, thirdly, temporary protection visas that deny access to permanent residency.”

Mr Morrison said TPVs were a part of the “three strand cord,” which was “not easily broken”.

“I do know that the Labor Party have never believed in it, they have never supported it, they have never understood it and that’s why they can’t be trusted to keep it,” he said.

Asked to clarify Labor’s position on Operation Sovereign Borders in the wake of Mr Albanese’s comments about offshore processing, a campaign spokeswoman said the party supported it.

Anthony Albanese has been forced to clarify his latest comments on asylum seekers. Picture: Toby Zerna

“Labor supports Operation Sovereign Borders – offshore processing, regional

resettlement, and boat turn-backs where safe to do so, but for years Labor has

warned that Mr Morrison has put border protection on ‘set and forget’ mode,” she said.

“Labor introduced offshore processing, when Anthony Albanese was Deputy Prime

Minister and Labor will retain it.”

The spokeswoman said Labor’s position was to maintain the turnback operation,

while “stopping the Liberals’ waste” of taxpayer dollars by converting temporary visas to permanent ones.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese stops for a selfie outside St Monica’s Cathedral in Cairns. Picture: Toby Zerna

“As Labor has explained for years, millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being

wasted forcing people who arrived under Liberal and Labor Governments before

Operation Sovereign Borders to constantly reapply for temporary protection,” she said.

The spokeswoman said offshore detention was only required when turn-backs failed,

and said Liberal attacks on Mr Albanese’s position on these issues were a “diversion

from Scott Morrison’s cuts to border protection”.

“Let’s be clear – if you attempt to come to Australia by boat, you will not make it,”

she said.

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