Anthony Albanese says Kristina Keneally’s previous attacks on offshore processing are because of her Catholic faith

Anthony Albanese says Kristina Keneally’s previous attacks on offshore processing are because of her Catholic faith.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Kristina Keneally, Labor's new home affairs spokeswoman and Deputy Leader in the Senate. Picture: Kym Smith

Anthony Albanese says the Labor Party will advocate “secure borders without losing our humanity” and that his new home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally’s previous attacks on offshore processing are because of her Catholic faith.

Senator Keneally has come under fire from her government counterpart Peter Dutton for her Guardian Australia articles calling for a royal commission into the treatment of children in offshore detention, opposing boat turnbacks, and saying Australia should take refugees from Manus Island and Nauru.

Mr Albanese, who has also opposed boat turnbacks in the past, said today that Senator Keneally was the right person for the home affairs portfolio and that she held the position as other Australians of faith.

“What we need to do, though, is to ensure that we do have secure borders, but we don’t have to lose our humanity in doing so,” he told the ABC today.

“ It is not surprising that someone like Kristina Keneally coming, as she does from her background, in terms of faith, like many of the leaders of the Catholic and other communities are concerned that people on Manus and Nauru have been there for a very, very long period of time.

“Now, the government needs to sort that issue out. They are now into their third term. You can have secure borders without losing our humanity.”

MORE: Keneally moves to rebrand herself as tough on border control

Mr Albanese also said he wanted the government to do more to find regional resettlement options for asylum seekers still on Manus Island and Nauru.

“What they need to do is find third countries of settlement. We have been saying that for a very long period of time.

“The government has knocked back offers for third countries of settlement. You can’t leave people in detention indefinitely forever. There is also the economic cost of doing so.

“We saw during the lead up to the election campaign the most expensive media conference in Australia’s history where we had hundreds of millions of dollars allocated for Christmas Island, so that Scott Morrison could go and stand under a tree and hold a press conference and take the (press) gallery with him.”

Keneally: Labor won’t allow smugglers back into business

Senator Keneally today issued a mea culpa in an attempt to rebrand herself as tough on borders after Mr Dutton said she owed the Australian public an “explanation” over her inconsistent positions on border protection.

She told The Australian she has disavowed her previous comments from several years ago that she “instinctively disliked” boat turnbacks, supported onshore processing and wanted a royal commission into Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers.

Senator Keneally said Labor’s current support for boat turnbacks and offshore processing would be not be up for review post-election, unlike a host of other policies.

“Let’s be fundamentally clear that Labor stands with the government when it comes to keeping our borders and every time Peter Dutton says otherwise he is simply lying,” she told ABC radio.

“My job is to stand up and make clear that Labor will never allow the people smugglers back into business. But it’s also to stand up and make clear that we do not need to become a cruel nation, we do not see people sitting indefinitely in offshore detention centres.”

Senator Keneally also told The New Daily today that she supported the Medevac legislation allowing sick refugees in Manus Island and Nauru to be sent to Australia on the advice of two doctors.

“Let me be clear, we supported the Medevac legislation. We believe that when people are sick they should get the healthcare that they need,” she said.

“They (the government) might seek to repeal I don’t know. But we support the Medevac legislation. Anthony Albanese has made that clear. The onus is on the government, if they want to seek changes, to put them before the Parliament. If the government puts something before Parliament we will take it through our shadow cabinet and the normal processes.”