The shadow immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison (right), with Tony Abbott. Photograph: AAP/Dan Peled
Tony Abbott has declared Nauru "by no means an unpleasant place to live" as his immigration spokesman announced plans for a new "tent city" on the island to process asylum seekers.
The shadow immigration minister, Scott Morrison, said the five-year processing plan included providing tent accommodation for a further 2,000 people on Nauru.
The policy, which seemed to contain some elements in common with Labor's Papua New Guinea resettlement deal, was revealed by News Limited publications.
Morrison later released a statement providing details. "If elected, the Coalition will begin with an immediate, short- and medium-term increase in accommodation facilities," he said. "The first step will quickly increase capacity at Nauru by 2,000 places in tented accommodation. More steps will follow.
"The expanded capacity on Nauru is part of our long-standing commitment to genuine offshore processing and will complement the expansion of processing capacity on Manus Island to ensure we finally have genuine offshore processing.
"The five-year plan will also see the establishment of a major post-assessment accommodation village that will be placed on new and existing leased sites. I have also been able to confirm that there is capacity to further significantly increase accommodation facilities at other identified locations, including the State House site."
He said detainees "will be provided assistance to pursue resettlement options in countries other than Australia".
Abbott said on breakfast television that there had been no consultation with other players in the region prior to Tuesday morning's news reports, and in a media conference later in the morning said the plan had not been discussed by the shadow cabinet.
The proposed expansion on Nauru follows a commitment last week by the Coalition to put a "three-star general" in charge of Australia's border protection effort – a policy which was criticised by the Australian Defence Association for breaching the legal chain of command.
The immigration minister, Tony Burke, said the new Coalition initiative was a tacit admission by Abbott that the boats would not stop. He said he had no argument in principle with expanding capacity on Nauru, but the specific initiative was "childish" and contained "fairly dire errors".
The first error, Burke contended, was putting a public figure on total capacity. This was a mistake, and gave people smugglers intelligence about how to "game" and "overwhelm" the policy.
Abbott later said the Coalition would expand capacity on Nauru as required.
Burke said the Coalition had also left a window open for detainees on Nauru to end up back in Australia. The Coalition policy said only there was "no guarantee" of resettlement. Burke said this introduced a level of ambiguity in the policy which would prove counterproductive.
He said Morrison had obviously rushed "to an announcement without thinking things through. Some of what he's put forward will have the exact opposite consequences to what he would want."
Burke also remarked that Abbott and Morrison evidently enjoyed the politics of boat arrivals. "I do not," he said.
The immigration minister said Labor had also had talks with officials on Nauru, including the president, about expanding capacity on the island. A riot on the island nearly a fortnight ago badly damaged processing facilities there.
Shadow foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop told Sky News the new Coalition policy was not a formal treaty with Nauru, but an understanding. Bishop said it was not possible for oppositions to reach binding agreements with governments, but "Scott is very confident we'll be able to achieve what he's set out today."
Bishop was asked why the Coalition needed a processing policy spanning five years when Abbott has promised to stop the boats during his first term in office. Australian parliamentary terms are three years. She reasoned that the two commitments were not inconsistent. The additional capacity would deal with a backlog of people pursuing refugee claims.
On the government's contention that asylum seekers could end up back in Australia based on what Morrison had pledged on Nauru, Bishop said the Coalition's policy was to "encourage resettlement in third countries".
In a media conference on Tuesday morning, Burke declined to confirm that the first transfer of asylum seekers to PNG under Labor's hardline processing and resettlement policy would occur later in the day.
"I'm keeping it in a policy frame rather than a deadline frame. You can't send people until their health checks are complete," Burke said. "There needs to be appropriate accommodation and there needs to be appropriate services."
He said their arrival on PNG would not be a secret. "Everyone will end up being sent offshore," Burke said. "But I'm not getting into arbitrary timeframes."
After a significant upsurge in boat arrivals immediately after Labor unveiled the PNG policy, there have been fewer arrivals over the past few days.
Burke said he read nothing into that development. He argued the government's belief remained that people smugglers would test Labor's resolve.
The Greens immigration spokeswoman, Sarah Hanson-Young, attacked the quality of the current political debate on asylum seekers. Nauru "seems more like a slum solution than anything else', she said. "This is the race to the bottom, out of control," she said.
The shadow immigration minister, Scott Morrison, said the five-year processing plan included providing tent accommodation for a further 2,000 people on Nauru.
The policy, which seemed to contain some elements in common with Labor's Papua New Guinea resettlement deal, was revealed by News Limited publications.
Morrison later released a statement providing details. "If elected, the Coalition will begin with an immediate, short- and medium-term increase in accommodation facilities," he said. "The first step will quickly increase capacity at Nauru by 2,000 places in tented accommodation. More steps will follow.
"The expanded capacity on Nauru is part of our long-standing commitment to genuine offshore processing and will complement the expansion of processing capacity on Manus Island to ensure we finally have genuine offshore processing.
"The five-year plan will also see the establishment of a major post-assessment accommodation village that will be placed on new and existing leased sites. I have also been able to confirm that there is capacity to further significantly increase accommodation facilities at other identified locations, including the State House site."
He said detainees "will be provided assistance to pursue resettlement options in countries other than Australia".
Abbott said on breakfast television that there had been no consultation with other players in the region prior to Tuesday morning's news reports, and in a media conference later in the morning said the plan had not been discussed by the shadow cabinet.
The proposed expansion on Nauru follows a commitment last week by the Coalition to put a "three-star general" in charge of Australia's border protection effort – a policy which was criticised by the Australian Defence Association for breaching the legal chain of command.
The immigration minister, Tony Burke, said the new Coalition initiative was a tacit admission by Abbott that the boats would not stop. He said he had no argument in principle with expanding capacity on Nauru, but the specific initiative was "childish" and contained "fairly dire errors".
The first error, Burke contended, was putting a public figure on total capacity. This was a mistake, and gave people smugglers intelligence about how to "game" and "overwhelm" the policy.
Abbott later said the Coalition would expand capacity on Nauru as required.
Burke said the Coalition had also left a window open for detainees on Nauru to end up back in Australia. The Coalition policy said only there was "no guarantee" of resettlement. Burke said this introduced a level of ambiguity in the policy which would prove counterproductive.
He said Morrison had obviously rushed "to an announcement without thinking things through. Some of what he's put forward will have the exact opposite consequences to what he would want."
Burke also remarked that Abbott and Morrison evidently enjoyed the politics of boat arrivals. "I do not," he said.
The immigration minister said Labor had also had talks with officials on Nauru, including the president, about expanding capacity on the island. A riot on the island nearly a fortnight ago badly damaged processing facilities there.
Shadow foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop told Sky News the new Coalition policy was not a formal treaty with Nauru, but an understanding. Bishop said it was not possible for oppositions to reach binding agreements with governments, but "Scott is very confident we'll be able to achieve what he's set out today."
Bishop was asked why the Coalition needed a processing policy spanning five years when Abbott has promised to stop the boats during his first term in office. Australian parliamentary terms are three years. She reasoned that the two commitments were not inconsistent. The additional capacity would deal with a backlog of people pursuing refugee claims.
On the government's contention that asylum seekers could end up back in Australia based on what Morrison had pledged on Nauru, Bishop said the Coalition's policy was to "encourage resettlement in third countries".
In a media conference on Tuesday morning, Burke declined to confirm that the first transfer of asylum seekers to PNG under Labor's hardline processing and resettlement policy would occur later in the day.
"I'm keeping it in a policy frame rather than a deadline frame. You can't send people until their health checks are complete," Burke said. "There needs to be appropriate accommodation and there needs to be appropriate services."
He said their arrival on PNG would not be a secret. "Everyone will end up being sent offshore," Burke said. "But I'm not getting into arbitrary timeframes."
After a significant upsurge in boat arrivals immediately after Labor unveiled the PNG policy, there have been fewer arrivals over the past few days.
Burke said he read nothing into that development. He argued the government's belief remained that people smugglers would test Labor's resolve.
The Greens immigration spokeswoman, Sarah Hanson-Young, attacked the quality of the current political debate on asylum seekers. Nauru "seems more like a slum solution than anything else', she said. "This is the race to the bottom, out of control," she said.
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