ALP conference: talks to limit damaging turnbacks debate

Labor’s immigration spokesman is trying to head off a debate over turnbacks and offshore processing.

Labor for Refugees national secretary Nizza Siano.

Labor Left MPs were locked in negotiations last night with opposition immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann to neutralise a push by Labor for Refugees and avoid a damaging debate over boat turnbacks and offshore processing at the national conference.

The Australian has confirmed that motions were lodged yesterday calling for the “end of offshore processing” and to “cease turnbacks”. They were to be moved by Labor for Refugees national secretary Nizza Siano, but would be withdrawn if the discussions with Mr Neumann secured a number of concessions.

The key condition — being put up as a compromise — was for a change to the platform that would secure an “orderly pathway” to ensure more refugees in Indonesia could settle in Australia.

The national co-convener for Labor for Refugees, Shane Prince, told The Australian if there was agreement on this condition there would be no need for any motions to end offshore processing or boat turnbacks to proceed.

“I think those motions will only become relevant if we are unable to get a resolution with the working group, but that’s looking like an optimistic proposition at the moment,” Mr Prince said.

“We think that we will be able to find a sensible and sustainable middle ground for disrupting ­people-smuggling operations by creating an orderly and reasonable queue for people who are stuck in Indonesia and are vulnerable to people-smugglers.

“We’re not going to have a vote for the sake of having a vote. If we can find a pathway to look after those who are being treated cruelly on Manus and Nauru, and stop it from happening in the future, then we’ll be satisfied with that and the team will go forward in a unified way.”

Any refugees taken in from Indonesia under this arrangement, would take up places within the humanitarian program.

Labor Left MPs were last night examining whether to increase Labor’s commitment beyond its pledge to lift the humanitarian intake to 27,000 places. The current humanitarian intake is set at 16,250, but is due to rise to 18,750 next year.

The motions — which were due to be moved later today by Ms Siano — would call on an “incoming Labor government to cease the practice of turning back boats” and to “end all offshore detention and transfer all refugees and people seeking asylum to ­either New Zealand, the US, a safe third country that the refugee or person seeking asylum accepts, or bring them to Australia”.

Other concessions being sought were for asylum-seekers on bridging visas to be given a stronger “safety net” with the right to work, study and receive Medicare for “all stages of the refugee determination process”. This would include “income support at the primary merits and judicial stages of processing”.