Labor leader Bill Shorten promises to increase refugee intake by 4000, review Newstart if elected

Labor Leader Bill Shorten avoided a stoush on the floor of the national conference by promising to bring up to 4000 more refugees to Australia and urgently review Newstart.

Labor Leader Bill Shorten avoided a stoush on the floor of the national conference by promising to bring up to 4000 more refugees to Australia and urgently review Newstart.

He maintained a strong stance on border protection, including boat turn-backs and offshore processing, which received consensus on the floor.

Mr Shorten said a Labor government would offer policies that were “strong, compassionate and sustainable”.

“We will take more refugees as part of our migration mix, we will make sure that it is a safe process,” he said.

If elected, Labor will seek to adopt New Zealand’s offer to resettle refugees from Manus and Nauru, and expand the existing Community Sponsored Refugee Program from 1000 to 5000 places, in addition to the 27,000 existing humanitarian intake commitment.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten leads marathon champion Jess Trengove during a jog across the Adelaide Oval footbridge. Picture: Lukas Coch / AAP

The program allows state and local governments, community organisations, businesses, unions and faith-based institutions to sponsor humanitarian entrants.

Mr Shorten said if country towns wanted to sponsor refugees they would not stand in the way. Local Government Association president Sam Telfer said SA regions were crying out for more people, especially skilled workers.

Business SA spokesman Anthony Penney said it would do nothing to address the skills shortage that SA was facing.

An attempt to review 6000 people denied visas was defeated but other measures supported include:
$500 MILLION over the next five years to support the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
TRIPLING the Australian Federal Police Officers overseas to stop people smugglers.
IMPROVING medical transfer process for refugees.

Mr Shorten also promised to release the findings of the Newstart review within 18 months of taking power.

Newstart hasn’t risen in real terms since 1994, prompting advocacy groups and Labor’s Left faction to call for a $75-a-week increase on the current rate of $275.

“That explicit platform commitment wasn’t supported by our leadership due to its expense,” NSW Left faction delegate Darcy Byrne told the conference.

The party also promised to abolish the controversial Community Development Program work-for-the-dole scheme meant to help indigenous people in remote Australia.

It will be replaced because Labor says it punishes indigenous job seekers compared to their city-based counterparts.

Labor also committed to establishing a voice to parliament designed by indigenous people and enshrined in the constitution.

On the final day of the conference Labor’s new national executive will be decided, and Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Paul Keating will be given life membership of the party.

Shorten wins big on asylum seekers

Analysis — Matt Smith

It was the single issue that threatened to derail Labor’s “play nice” national conference.

What would the progressive party of Australians politics do about asylum seekers?

On the surface it all looked like plain sailing; Bill Shorten was homeward bound when some of the parties most recognisable names towed the party line.

But all week a potential storm was on the horizon.

The Coalition was hoping for it along with some within the party.

But Mr Shorten clearly wasn’t having any of it.

Behind the scenes the opposing Right and Left factions of the party, that both had dinners without each other the night before, had been working out what was acceptable to either side.

At the end of the day Mr Shorten’s faction, the Right, won.

If elected he won’t be scrapping a boat turn-back policy or offshore processing.

But he has promised to adopt New Zealand’s offer to resettle refugees from Manus and Nauru.

And bring up to 4000 more refugees to Australian addition to the 27,000 existing humanitarian intake commitment.

It was a win for the party that knows it is vulnerable to political attacks of going soft on asylum seekers.

But around the conference it was impossible to ignore the vibe that this issue will not go away.

Originally published as Labor leader Bill Shorten promises to increase refugee intake by 4000, review Newstart if elected