Australia Network, Newsline with Jim Middleton
6 July 2010
Topics: Border protection
JIM MIDDLETON: Brendan O'Connor is Australia's Minister for Home Affairs, and is responsible for administering the country's border protection policies. Minister, thanks very much for joining us.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Good to be with you.
JIM MIDDLETON: This is a case of out of sight, out of mind this new policy isn't it? That's really all there is to it.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: This is the first time that a leader has stood up in this country for a long time and explained the challenges of border protection and asylum seekers.
Julia Gillard has made it clear to the Australian nation that she takes this issue very seriously, and she said on her first day on being elevated to prime ministership that she understood the concern of Australians and their concern about the way in which some people seek to get to Australia by, in many cases, unseaworthy vessels, and she wanted to consider the best approach.
Today, we heard a person who understood the challenges, and has, I think, properly, cogently argued that we need a regional approach to this challenge.
JIM MIDDLETON: But the regional approach, in the end, is simply another version of the Pacific Solution, that is, rather than sending asylum seekers to Nauru and Papua New Guinea, on this occasion you'll be sending them to another poor country, in this case, East Timor.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Well look, you know, as the minister that's responsible for the Customs and Border Command personnel that have to deal with these vessels, and do a magnificent job in very difficult circumstances on the high seas, it is important we work out a way to prevent people endangering their lives and, indeed, endangering the Customs and Border Protection personnel.
JIM MIDDLETON: But can you guarantee then that this new policy will mean fewer boats turning up in Australian waters, so that the people for whom you are responsible won't be placed in that dilemma?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Well, we're confident that this will act as a strong deterrent to the people smuggling trade. There's no doubt that there are organised syndicates in the region that have been plying their trade. They've been reaping enormous money, taking the life savings of in many cases, desperate people, to only place them on perilous journeys.
JIM MIDDLETON: But if they are desperate, they're just going to fetch up in East Timor now, rather than on Christmas Island.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Well, some are – I mean, clearly, what we need to do is have an orderly process where a person is properly considered to be a refugee pursuant to the convention. We know that the Refugee Convention means if the person can establish they have a well-founded fear of persecution they have a right to asylum.
And this country is one of the most generous countries in the world and we are proud to be a generous country in that regard. But we do not tolerate allowing people-smugglers to lure people onto dangerous vessels, to endanger our own Customs and Border Protection personnel. And to return to your earlier question about what does this mean, well, this approach, engaging with the region, engaging with the UNHCR to establish a processing centre, will take away part of the incentive to have people endanger their own lives and, along the way, endanger our own crew on those vessels.
JIM MIDDLETON: What will be the quid pro quo from East Timor for agreeing to establish a regional processing centre? Australia insisting, for example, that East Timor gets its way, and that gas from the Greater Sunrise field is processed onshore in East Timor with the benefits that East Timor thinks it will have, rather than the benefits that Woodside thinks that it's cheaper by doing it offshore?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Look, the Prime Minister has been in the job for less than two weeks. She has made clear there are some matters that need resolving. And today, she announced, a clear alternative to the sloganeering that's been made out by the Opposition Leader. The empty comments about turning around boats, which we know is not practical. It can only endanger our own personnel's lives and the lives of others.
JIM MIDDLETON: One final question. A lot of countries around the world receive a lot more asylum seekers than Australia. Indonesia is one of them. Why would not Australia's neighbours think that Australia is simply trying to avoid its responsibilities simply to appease the prejudices of a few Australian voters?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Well, as I've said, we take a high number of refugees. In fact, if you look at the 13,700 figure, and it's only varied marginally up or down over the last 10 years, per capita, that is a high number. And, indeed, if you were to look at the other signatories to the Refugee Convention, I think, we stand pretty well by way of comparison.
And we should. We are a relatively wealthy country, we have resources here, and we should do our fair share to help those people in need.
Nobody in government is questioning that. What we are saying, however, is we do not want to see the continuation of people smuggling activities where you see criminal syndicates involved in a whole range of crimes now moving into this area, and what we need to do is stop it. And the best way to stop it is to destroy the product. And the best way to do that, of course, is to have an orderly process that's been agreed regionally with our neighbours. And we've heard some very positive responses to date, and, of course, we've got some work to do, but we'll continue working on it.
JIM MIDDLETON: Minister, thanks very much.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Thanks Jim.
