Election 2022: Anthony Albanese vague about Kevin Rudd’s fears of conflict with Indonesia over boats

Kevin Rudd once referred to an armed conflict as a reason not to turn back boats. It’s something his former deputy, Anthony Albanese, seems to have forgotten.

It was a warning about a potential conflict with Indonesia – issued by his former boss – that Anthony Albanese completely forgot.

In June 2013, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd claimed that installing Tony Abbott as the country’s leader could spark conflict with Indonesia because of the opposition’s plans to turn back boats.

“I’m very concerned about whether, if Mr Abbott were to become prime minister and continues that rhetoric and that posture and actually tries to translate it into reality, I really wonder whether he’s trying to risk some sort of conflict with Indonesia,” Mr Rudd said at the time.

“What I’m talking about is diplomatic conflict, but I’m always wary about where diplomatic conflicts go.

“Konfrontasi with Indonesia (armed conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia in the 1960s) evolved over a set of words and turned into something else.”

Anthony Albanese during the first leaders’ debate in Brisbane. Picture: Jason Edwards

But during Wednesday’s Sky News-Courier Mail leaders’ debate, Mr Albanese seemingly forgot about this LNP policy.

During a heated exchange, Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked Mr Albanese why he didn’t support turn backs when he was deputy prime minister in 2013.

“You weren’t proposing back then, you were not proposing,” the Labor leader responded.

“I’m sorry we were, it was our policy, turn backs were our policy before the 2013 election,” Mr Morrison said back.

“I was the shadow immigration minister, I designed the policy, you were on the national security committee I think for the first time at that time, so why did you not support turn backs?”

Mr Albanese pointed to the Rudd Government having established offshore processing.

“That was the first step,” he said.

Mr Morrison then asked, “So you were going to do turn backs?”

“No. No, that’s right, but why is it Scott that you’re always looking for a division?” Mr Albanese hit back.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the first leaders’ debate in Brisbane. Picture: Jason Edwards

The Prime Minister said he was, “just looking for accuracy and the truth”.

The Labor leader said the truth was that the party supported turn backs and “we’ll do it”.

The Labor Party did not respond by deadline when asked to clarify the comments on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mr Albanese was grilled on Thursday about when or why he changed his position on turning back asylum seeker boats to support Labor’s policy.

On the hustings in Gilmore, the leader was asked why his mind changed after having a strong view against boat turn backs, once saying he couldn’t ask someone to do something he himself could not do.

But he repeatedly dodged giving a clear answer, saying only that his view had changed when he “announced that at the time, that Labor supports turning back the boats”.

Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips, who once signed a document opposing boat turn backs, also did not specify why her view on the policy had changed.

Originally published as Election 2022: Anthony Albanese vague about Kevin Rudd’s fears of conflict with Indonesia over boats