http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/13912577/abbotts-comments-misleadi...Refugee advocates have attacked the federal opposition's proposal to penalise asylum seekers not carrying all documentation, saying it over-simplifies a complicated issue.
In a press conference in Sydney on Saturday, opposition leader Tony Abbott said asylum seekers believed to have destroyed their documents before arriving in Australia will earn a presumption against refugee status under a coalition government.
"Everyone who comes to Indonesia from Iran, Pakistan or Afghanistan normally comes by plane, Mr Abbott said.
"So the vast majority of people have had documents before they got on the boats."
But Refugee Action Coalition Sydney spokesman Ian Rintoul said the comments were misleading.
"The issue of documentation is not as straight forward as the opposition is making out," he told AAP.
Mr Rintoul said many asylum seekers travelled by fake passports to Indonesia, which they destroyed on arrival in order to prevent any possible criminal proceedings.
Others destroyed valid passports in order to avoid being deported by the Indonesian government, he said.
"They may not have passports but they have other documentation, such as driver's licenses."People want to be identified because they can't be processed in Australia unless they are identified."
"It (the announcement) is all about the coalition painting a picture that a lot of people are trying to take advantage of Australia.
"There is no indication that this is the case.
"It is not easy to get refugee status in Australia."
He also rejected moves to review approvals of refugees and the establishment of a new integrity commissioner to audit all refugee decisions.
"This would just create another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy," he said.
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