ALP boats policy a recipe for disaster, says Peter Dutton

Home Affairs Minister Peter ­Dutton has slammed draft Labor policy proposals on immigration and asylum-seekers.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP

Home Affairs Minister Peter ­Dutton has slammed draft Labor policy proposals released ahead of the party’s national conference as “a disastrous recipe for a return to the border chaos”.

The policy blueprint, circulated to ALP members before the July conference, suggests Labor would review the arrangements for the Home Affairs Department and move to shift asylum-seekers out of mandatory detention after 90 days.

Bill Shorten accused the government of “scaremongering” when asked about the platform yesterday.

“It may be in the interests of Peter Dutton and Malcolm Turnbull to convince the people-smugglers they can get back into business, but a Labor administration will make sure that they’re not back in business,” the Opposition Leader said.

But Mr Dutton said Labor’s stand was tantamount to planning to bring in “quick, streamlined processing of illegal arrivals” and their placement into the Australian community, which “neglects” national security. “In all, it is a disastrous recipe for a return to the border chaos of the recent past under Rudd and Gillard,” he said.

He said the document contained “mealy-mouthed” words on border control.

The platform says “unauthorised arrivals” or asylum-seekers will be subject to mandatory ­detention for health, identity and security checks, but “Labor will strive to ensure this is for no longer than 90 days”.

Mr Shorten did not directly disagree with this stand and simply said there were concerns about keeping people in indefinite ­detention.

“It’s one thing to stop the boats, but it’s another thing to keep ­people in indefinite detention. So we will actively support regional resettlement,” he said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull created the Home ­Affairs ­Department last year to combine immigration with intelligence and customs agencies in order to have less crossover of government ­intelligence collection.

Mr Shorten appeared to back a proposal to review the Home ­Affairs arrangements as laid out in Labor’s platform.

“We will take the best advice of our security agencies to make sure that what’s happening is that our borders are secure and that the functions of the department are being carried out to the best taxpayer value and to the best objectives of the parliament,’’ he said.