All at sea as ALP boats stance is thrown overboard

Kristina Keneally has disavowed her previous comments on borders after being appointed to the home affairs portfolio.

Kristina Keneally at a Labor caucus meeting, last month. Picture: Kym Smith

Labor’s commitment to strong border protection policy has been undermined by the appointment of Kristina Keneally to the home affairs portfolio in shadow cabinet — forcing her to repudiate her former opposition to boat turnbacks.

Labor’s deputy Senate leader, who was the biggest winner of ­Anthony Albanese’s shadow ministry shake-up announced yesterday, disavowed her previous comments on border security from several years ago, including that she “instinctively disliked” boat turnbacks, supported onshore processing and wanted a royal commission into Australia’s treatment of asylum-seekers.

“Let’s be clear, Labor fully supports boat turnbacks when safe to do so, regional resettlement and offshore processing,” Senator ­Keneally told The Australian. “Boat turnbacks are an essential part to making sure people don’t drown at sea.”

Her elevation prompted a stinging attack from her government counterpart, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who ­declared Mr Albanese had chosen the “least qualified” candidate to fill the shadow portfolio following warnings last week that more ­illegal boats were headed to Australia.

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The Australian revealed last week that a boat carrying 20 Sri Lankans, which set sail for Australia in early May during the federal election campaign, was intercepted by Border Force.

Mr Dutton blamed people-smugglers marketing a change of government to asylum-seekers for the boat venture before Scott Morrison’s “miracle” election win.

Mr Albanese said his 12 women and 12 men shadow cabinet ministers had been appointed on merit and his new team represented a “major step forward” to Labor ­returning to government.

Senator Keneally, the first ­female NSW premier, was catapulted into shadow cabinet after factional colleagues Ed Husic, also from NSW, and Don Farrell, from South Australia, were made to stand aside so she could join the frontbench and take on a leadership position.

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten was yesterday handed the ­National Disability Insurance Scheme portfolio, while three new women — Terri Butler, Madeleine King and Katy Gallagher — join the shadow cabinet in the respective portfolios of environment and water, trade, and finance.

Chris Bowen was sidelined from the Treasury portfolio after Labor’s policies on franking credits and negative gearing, of which he was the chief architect, were partly blamed for the party’s loss.

He will take over from Catherine King in health, a portfolio she had wanted to keep but instead was given Mr Albanese’s former roles covering infrastructure and transport.

Mr Albanese was quick to dismiss Senator Keneally’s previous call for a royal commission into offshore detention but has also been uncomfortable with the ­Coalition’s hardline border protection policies.

He voted against boat turnbacks at the ALP’s 2015 conference, saying he personally would be unable to turn around a boat of asylum-seekers, but has since ­accepted it as policy. Senator ­Keneally, who filled the casual ­vacancy left by Sam Dastyari in February last year, told The Australian her opinions about border security had changed significantly in ­recent years.

In July 2015, she wrote an opinion piece against boat turnbacks, saying it was cruel to tow boats away from Australia when people were attempting a perilous journey to seek asylum. “Such action dishonours our past commitments to compassionate welcome and ­violates our international treaty obligations,” she wrote in Guardian Australia.

Speaking after the shadow ministry announcement yesterday, Senator Keneally said she was now comfortable with boat turnbacks but her article was an honest reflection of her discomfort about a harsh government measure.

Mr Dutton said Ms Keneally owed the Australian public an ­“explanation” over her inconsistent positions on border protection.

“(Senator Keneally’s) opposed to turnbacks where they are safe to do so, which is the important central leg of Operation Sovereign Borders; she’s opposed to offshore regional processing, which is ­another central leg to Operation Sovereign Borders; she’s opposed to temporary visas as we know, which is already the position of the Labor Party,” he said.

“Kristina Keneally really has to have a mea culpa at some point and come out and explain why she’s had an epiphany that she ­believes now — credibly — she can occupy this portfolio. There’s nobody less qualified in the Labor Party on border protection matters than Kristina Keneally and yet she’s ended up with the portfolio, it’s quite bizarre. Anthony Albanese must have a great sense of humour.”

In another column, from February 2015 in the wake of the ­Forgotten People report about Australians who experienced institutional care as children, Senator Keneally outlined why she believed there was cause for a royal commission into asylum-seekers and offshore detention.

Yesterday she said her opinion on a royal commission mellowed after the government removed children from detention and Malcolm Turnbull struck a resettlement deal with the US, removing a significant number of people from offshore detention.

Senator Keneally will be joined by Victorian Left MP Andrew Giles as the opposition’s assistant immigration and citizenship spokesman.

Mr Giles has also ­attacked key pillars of the ­Coalition’s border protection policies, including moving a motion to reject boat turnbacks at Labor’s 2015 national conference because they were “inherently unsafe” and “clearly contrary to our international obligations”.

Mr Shorten said he was “honoured” to become Labor’s NDIS spokesman after he worked to create the scheme when he entered parliament in 2007.

Jason Clare was demoted as Labor’s resources, Northern Australia and trade spokesman to the portfolios of regional services, territories and local government after the party’s equivocation over the Adani coalmine damaged its support in mining seats.

Shayne Neumann lost immigration and became spokesman for veterans affairs and defence, while Clare O’Neil, who considered a tilt for the deputy leadership, did not get promoted into shadow cabinet and will be the spokeswoman for innovation, technology and the future of work.