Legacy asylum seekers: Labor will invite thousands of illegals to stay

LABOR has pledged to end uncertainty for legacy asylum seekers by granting permanent settlement to thousands who arrived by boat under the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd government.

Thousands of asylum seekers will be granted permanent settlement by Labor. Picture: Amy Rossbach

LABOR will grant permanent settlement to thousands of asylum seekers who arrived by boat under the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd government.

In the most significant deviation from the Coalition government’s successful border protection policy, Labor would give its legacy caseload of 30,000 asylum seekers, who arrived illegally on 800 boats, a pathway to permanent residency in Australia as part of a policy to abolish Temporary Protection Visas.

Illegal arrivals granted the temporary three-year visas by the government would have their temporary measures torn up by a Shorten government and given full work rights. Labor has also refused to rule out making changes to the hard-line Australian Border Force, or Operation Sovereign Borders set up by the Abbott government to stop the boats.

The pledge to end uncertainty for the legacy asylum seekers comes as the depth of internal hostility to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s promise to turn back boats has been revealed, with more than 50 Labor candidates now running for election having formerly opposed the plan.

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten on a street walk in Perth yesterday. Picture: AAP

Among them is the Labor leader’s national security adviser Mike Kelly, now a candidate for his old seat of Eden Monaro and a likely minister in a Shorten government, who had aggressively fought the Coalition’s policy of turning back boats at sea.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton last night told The Daily Telegraph Labor’s border security policy was now “weak, equivocal and constantly changing”.

The potential for post-election rebellion appears to be far more widespread than was ­revealed at the beginning of the campaign, with public records confirming a total of 50 candidates or MPs opposing strong border protection.

Mr Kelly has been a fierce critic of the turn-back policy now adopted by Mr Shorten.

“This (boat turn-back policy) is a cavalier approach to the welfare of our defence and border protection people and it is cavalier in regard to the safety of the asylum seekers and it will not work,” he said just before the last election.

Labor will abolish TPVs for refugees currently in Australia, claiming they deserve certainty. The Turnbull government currently uses TPVs, a visa which allows a refugee to stay in Australia for three years before their future is ­reviewed, as a deterrent so people smugglers cannot market Australia as offering permanent home for boat arrivals.

A Labor campaign spokeswoman confirmed the plan to end TPVs would apply to the legacy caseload.

“For this group of people all TPVs do is place them in a prolonged state of uncertainty and on the government tab,’’ the spokeswoman said.

“John Howard recognised this, that’s why in 2004 he changed the rules to allow people on TPVs to apply for a visa to stay permanently.”

Labor insist TPVs are no longer relevant because all ­illegal arrivals are processed in offshore detention centres and no longer granted access to Australia.

Mr Dutton said TPVs were a critical pillar of border protection policy.

“Shorten Labor is showing all the signs of recklessness that saw 50,000 illegal maritime arrivals breach our borders under Rudd and Gillard Labor,” he said.

“Abolition of TPVs reveals Bill Shorten’s weak border polices. It sends a dangerous signal to people smugglers that they’re back in business with a product to sell permanent settlement in Australia.”