Activist doctors already taking action to use the new medical transfer law for 300 boat people
Activist doctors are mobilising thanks to the Medevac Bill; Re-opening Christmas Island is “no stunt”; Derryn Hinch’s shame file; Labor plays another border security card and Miranda Devine’s witty analysis. Plus, which actress channels real pollies on screen? This is what happened in federal politics on Wednesday.
- Scott Morrison makes dramatic bid to stop transfers
- Security fears criminals will use medical transfers
- Electoral fight looms on border protection
Activist doctors are already mobilising to bring boat people to Australia using Opposition leader Bill Shorten’s new medical transfer law as the Morrison government prepares to beef-up border security in a bid to fight an expected revival of the people smuggling trade.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared he was reopening the Christmas Island Detention Centre to cope with the influx of arrivals after the Labor leader pushed through the law to make it easier to bring asylum seekers to the mainland because of a health complaint.
MORE NEWS
Pauline Hanson denies sexually harassing Senator Brian Burston
Standing ovation to farewell Senator John ‘Wacka’ Williams
Arrest warrant issued for Sydney Instagram model
The Prime Minister also pledged to reverse Mr Shorten’s legislation if he won government at the election, amid warnings there was already “chatter” in the people smuggling trade about Australia’s changing laws.
It can be revealed that the Home Affairs Department is aware of 300 cases that have already been prepared and are ready for lodgement to bring asylum seekers to Australia on medical grounds the second the bill gets royal assent — usually within a week.
The Federal Government Health contractor, International Health and Medical Services which manages the health records of people on Manus Island and Nauru, has also received a surge of inquiries from Australian doctors, The Daily Telegraph has been advised.
Security agencies have reportedly warned “the beast was stirring”, in reference to chatter among people smugglers.
Mr Shorten channelled former Labor PM Kevin Rudd yesterday as he sought to defend his position, insisting what Labor had “done is got the balance right” between compassion and border protection.
Mr Rudd made remarkably similar comments in 2009 — right in the middle of his Labor government in which 1200 asylum seekers would die at sea.
“Our policy is clear-cut,” Mr Rudd said at the time.
“It’s balanced. It is about ensuring that we have a tough, hard line approach to people smuggling, but a fair and humane approach when it comes to the processing of asylum seekers. We believe we’ve got that balance right.”
In fresh evidence the people smuggling trade thrived under the former Labor government, The Daily Telegraph can reveal 345 people were convicted of the illegal practice between 2008 and 2013, with a peak of 133 in 2011.
Since the Coalition came to power only 36 people smugglers have been convicted — 27 of those came in the first full year of government in 2014.
A day after losing a historic vote on the floor of the house of representatives, the medevac legislation sailed through the Senate.
The government will campaign fiercely now on the issue of border protection — a tactic which began clearly yesterday in question time.
Labor said that by reopening Christmas Island, it was Mr Morrison who was sending a signal to people smugglers that Australia was again open for business.
Mr Morrison firmly disputed this and pressed the point that it was not necessary to bring the asylum seekers to the mainland.
The government stated there was a ratio of one medical professional to every seven people in their care on Nauru and one mental health practitioner to every 14 people.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said people smugglers were fully appraised of legal changes in Australia and would exploit them in their heartless trade of getting people to pay to come to Australia on a boat.
“It creates a problem … in the marketing in Indonesia and elsewhere,” he said. “It should come as no surprise to people that people smugglers have heard what is going on.”
The government has confirmed that any doctor within Australia will be able to conduct medical assessments via Skype and then sign a letter to the immigration minister which recommends transfer.
It comes as Médecins Sans Frontières, which was kicked off Nauru last year, has set up a new telehealth service in Australia for boat people after hiring a team of psychologists.
Senior sources suspect this will be used to help bring asylum seekers to the mainland.
The activist medical group refused to say yesterday whether it would provide the sign off required for transfer but on announcing the service last week MSF clinical psychologist Dr Christine Rufener said “there is unfortunately no therapeutic solution for asylum seekers and refugees who remain held indefinitely on Nauru” and called for fast access to permanent resettlement.
Under the new laws, all transfer requests will need to be personally assessed by Immigration Minister David Coleman — possibly dozens a day — within 72 hours of hitting his desk.
Concerns over Nauru refugee’s terrorist links
By Renee Viellaris
Exclusive: A Pakistani refugee on Nauru has links with Taliban warlords and was suspected of trying to plan an attack in Australia, it can be revealed as security agencies have been left jolted by Labor’s new asylum seeker laws.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the reopening of Christmas Island detention centre yesterday, as law enforcement agencies put national security contingency measures in place in Australia and overseas over fears the new legislation could reignite people smuggling ventures.
Mr Morrison pledged he would rescind the legislation if he won the next election.
Five Eyes, the intelligence accord between Australia, the US, Canada, New Zealand and the UK, are understood to have already provided security advice on some of the asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru.
Easier passage for refugees as medivac bill passes
It is understood a Pakistani national, 29, on Nauru has been flagged for his terrorist ideation and suspicions of wanting to carry out an attack on Australian soil. The man, also suspected of previous drug trafficking, has been refused settlement in other countries on security grounds.
At least 1000 people on Manus Island and Nauru are expected to be medically transferred to Australia in the coming weeks.
News Corp understands doctors have already worked together on 300 unknown cases for evacuation once the new laws receive Royal Assent in about a week.
While Labor has said its Bill would ensure those considered a threat could not come to Australia, it is understood ASIO has not done extensive security assessments of everyone on Manus Island and Nauru because they were not required.
There are concerns that ASIO would not have enough time for a thorough determination once it had been determined by two doctors that an asylum seeker should be transferred to Australia.
Under the Bill, there is just 72 hours for intelligence agencies to gather a required intelligence profile. After that, the minister of the day cannot stop the transfer.
It is not known if doctors have begun advocating for the Pakistani man, but it is understood Doctors Without Borders will soon begin telehealth consultations to help asylum seekers get to Australia for medical treatment.
In a direct message to people smugglers and asylum seekers to be posted on social media and other mediums, Mr Morrison will say boat turnbacks will continue.
Mr Morrison said Opposition Leader Bill Shorten (inset) had weakened Australia’s security.
“There is a lot of misinformation and, frankly, lies ... There are more than 60 medical professionals on Nauru, for 420 people,” he said. “If that says there is no medical facilities available on Nauru, then that is ridiculous.”
Mr Morrison said it was wrong to say sick people were not already coming to Australia for treatment but part of the Government’s strategy was not to shout about it. He said national security briefings laid bare the challenges.
“We have approved putting in place the reopening of the Christmas Island detention facilities and a series of compounds there, both to deal with the prospect of arrivals as well as dealing with the prospect of transfers. My job now is to ensure that the boats don’t come.”
Mr Shorten dismissed the “fear campaign”, stressing the Bill stated only those on Manus Island and Nauru now could come to Australia.
ALP cops harsh history lesson on crippling cost of border bungles
ANALYSIS: Miranda Devine
“It’s the new Craig Kelly,” quipped Labor’s popular frontbencher Anthony Albanese as he swapped places with Peter Dutton in the Sky News parliament studio hot seat on Wednesday afternoon.
Dutton laughed good-naturedly but Albanese’s joke had a sting. In a bid to drive home the government’s political advantage in the border protection wars, the Home Affairs Minister had been as ubiquitous on the airwaves in the previous 24 hours as backbench colleague and Sky News late night habitue Craig Kelly.
Earlier, on the floor of Parliament, relations between Labor and the Coalition were a lot less cordial in the wake of the government’s historic parliamentary defeat over legislation giving doctors a greater say in medical evacuations of asylum seekers.
“This man sitting opposite me is not fit to be the Prime Minister,” said Dutton gesturing towards Opposition leader Bill Shorten.
“He has shown a reckless course of action that will see people coming from Manus Island who have been accused of being in sexual relationships with 14-year-old girls.”
His voice was drowned out by jeering from the Labor benches.
“Where’s Malcolm?” someone called out while “Stop the banks” was another Labor witticism during Question Time, as Shorten tried to switch the battle from the government’s border protection strength to his preferred arenas of Malcolm Turnbull and the “big end of town”, aka the banking royal commission.
But the government managed to turn almost every question into a catalogue of border atrocities from Labor’s recent past. Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen — the most hapless of Kevin Rudd’s immigration ministers — was the favourite target.
“On his watch, there were 25,000 unauthorised arrivals” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the House.
“A $5.2 billion blowout because of the weak border policy. That’s money that could have helped build 360 schools (or) 35 hospitals.”
The Treasurer makes a good point.
The financial cost to Australian taxpayers of Kevin Rudd’s dismantling of our border protections is conservatively estimated at $11 billion, for detention, welfare, interpreters, health services, transport and so on for the 50,000 boat people lured to our shores. Add $5 billion to clean up the mess. Not to mention more than 1200 drowned asylum seekers.
Labor’s inexplicable desire to repeat this doomed history is the gift that will keep on giving to the Morrison government.
Derryn Hinch’s vote a new ‘shame file’
A noted campaigner against child exploitation, it was Derryn Hinch who rubber-stamped new laws which the Morrison government fears will open Australia’s borders to alleged child molesters for taxpayer funded medical treatment.
The Justice Party Senator yesterday was the deciding vote which allowed the Kerryn Phelps’ inspired plan to speed up medical transfers of boat people to become law.
Attorney-General Christian Porter said under the new regime there was no discretion for the government or the immigration minister to stop the transfer of an individual on Manus Island or Nauru who was being “investigated for, charged with or on trial for, or even awaiting sentence, for a serious criminal offence”.
“This isn’t a hypothetical issue. We are well aware of the reporting of a potential transferee on Manus Island charged with four counts of sexual penetration of a minor under the PNG Summary Offences and Crimes Against Children Act,” he told parliament.
Senator Hinch did not respond to questions about whether he was aware of such cases when supporting the Bill and, if so, whether he was concerned such individuals would be transferred to Australia.
Labor hit on citizen strips for terrorists
By Sheradyn Holderhead
Labor is preparing to go to war with the government over its plan to strip extremists of their Australian citizenship if they are entitled to a foreign one, with the Opposition claiming it is unconstitutional.
For the first time Labor is expected to cause a significant split in the federal parliament’s powerful intelligence and security committee by handing down the party’s minority report on the proposal.
The government is expected to use the division as further ammunition to claim Labor is the weaker option on national security.
Under the plan, if the minister was reasonably satisfied that the extremist was eligible for citizenship of another country their Australian citizenship could be revoked.
It would also allow anyone convicted of a terror offence to be kicked out of Australia — a much lower threshold than the current law, which requires a minimum six-year jail term.
While Labor was understood to back the lower conviction threshold, it feared the weaker requirements to prove dual nationality would be open to challenge in the High Court.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said he would do everything within the law to stop those foreign fighters coming back to cause harm and injury to Australians.
“The fact is, the Office of Parliamentary Counsel drafted the Bill. The Chief General Counsel of the Australian Government Solicitor provided advice on the Bill,” he said.
“If Mr (Bill) Shorten and Mr (Mark) Dreyfus want to run the lawyer line to look for some technicality to allow these people to come into country that is an issue for them.”
Opposition Attorney-General spokesman Mark Dreyfus said Labor did not want to give terrorists a win in the High Court.
“Peter Dutton has proven himself absolutely incompetent on the matter of national security — he stuffed up the case of (Melbourne jihadist) Neil Prakash, and now he’s asking for more powers”.
Pollies inspire act of portrayal
By Jonathon Moran
Actor Danielle Cormack has revealed that she drew on the real-life personalities of former maverick MP Jacqui Lambie and New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern to portray an independent politician in TV drama Secret City: Under the Eagle.
“I spent a lot of time researching female politicians both here and abroad,” Cormack told The Daily Telegraph of playing federal Member for Wakefield Karen Koutoufides in the political drama set in Parliament House in Canberra.
“There are some amazing women in politics right now, Jacinda Ardern of course. And looking at the more outspoken and rambunctious politicians as well.
“Of course Jacqui Lambie came to mind. Karen is not bowing down to any conventions.”
Under the Eagle, the second season of hit drama Secret City, will hit Foxtel’s Fox Showcase on March 4.
Wakeley stabbing Bishop slams Labor’s misinformation bill
A controversial Sydney church where a priest was allegedly stabbed over his political and religious opinions has blasted the Albanese government’s new misinformation bill.
Almost 500 new homes to be built over Sydney Olympic Metro
Almost 500 new homes will be built on the new Sydney Olympic Park Metro precinct with major construction set to begin after the site was finally approved by the NSW government.