http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/7508143/govt-told-to-adopt-coalition-boat-policy/

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has called on the government to immediately adopt the coalition's border protection policy.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has vowed to tackle Australia's asylum seeker problem in the same spirit she resolved the bitter tax war with miners.

The opposition says Ms Gillard must restore the coalition's border protection policy.

"The next problem she says she's going to solve is the problem of boat arrivals," Mr Abbott told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.

"The coalition has a policy, it's a policy that has worked in the past, it will work again in the future and I would invite her to adopt our policy immediately."

Mr Abbott said he was prepared to fight an election on the issue, as well as the government's resources rent tax.

"I am happy to fight this election on the great big new tax on mining and the government's failure to protect our borders," he said.

The government has scrapped the controversial 40 per cent tax on the resources industry, replacing it with a 30 per cent levy on a fewer number of miners.

The compromise means $1.5 billion less in revenues than earlier projected - a total $10.5 billion in its first two years of implementation starting July 1, 2012.

Mr Abbott again called on the government to release the modelling of its new tax as well as the scheme designed under Kevin Rudd's leadership, saying the figures didn't stack up.

"I'm not accusing the government of cooking the books," he said.

"But given the implausibility of these figures, it would help the government's case if all the modelling were released.

"As things stand, it's very hard to see how with this dramatically changed architecture the new tax can raise almost as much money as the old tax."

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says Labor's freeze on processing asylum claims is "ineffective and inhumane".

"It forces people into indefinite detention, while leaving the incentive of permanent residency on the table," he said in a statement.

The government will decide next week whether to lift the three-month suspension it has applied to applications made by Sri Lankans.

But is likely to continue the freeze on asylum applications made by people from Afghanistan for at least another three months.

Mr Morrison says either way, Labor's decision will have no impact on the people smuggling business.
The coalition has vowed to reintroduce temporary protection visas and restore offshore processing if elected.

Yeah Gillard, give back the Greens that 7% of the vote we loaned you, by being as inhuman on boat refugees as the neo cons.

Gillard's population strategy is con the voters until after the federal election ... then return to the Big Australia policy through inaction.

Maqqa wrote on Jul 3^rd, 2010 at 6:35pm:


BWAHAHAHAH, Maqqa
If by chance she does will we hear that favourite line of yours you've used as many times as Rudd used "working famalies" you know the good old
"ME TOO"