Canberra, Nov 25: The Senate has rejected Prime Minister John Howard's attempt to cut thousands of islands from Australia's migration zone, triggering accusations today that the opposition Labour Party "wants to open the floodgates to people smugglers." Labour joined with independent lawmakers and minor parties in the Senate, which has the final say on legislation, late yesterday to reject the proposed law, which the government created after 14 Turkish Kurds arrived on Melville Island in northern Australia earlier this month seeking asylum. The Australian navy escorted their boat back toward Indonesia, where it came from.
The government claims the changes would not have affected its sovereignty over the islands, but would have put them outside the country's immigration zone, so anyone arriving on the islands would not have technically entered Australia.
The legislation would also have allowed Australian authorities to ship the uninvited visitors to camps set up on remote pacific islands where their applications for asylum would be processed.
Hundreds of asylum seekers have already been sent to detention centres set up by Australia on two impoverished pacific island nations, Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Authorities had detained them in Australian waters, before they had reached Australian soil.
Howard's tough stance has successfully stopped people smugglers bringing boatloads of asylum seekers to Australia. Only two boats have attempted to sneak into the country in more than a year.
Bureau Report