JULIA Gillard has backed away from plans for a refugee processing centre in East Timor.
The Prime Minister is under fire for the approach she has taken in securing East Timor’s support for a coordinated neighbourhood approach to stop asylum seekers reaching Australia’s shores. The troubles come on the eve of a possible federal election where migration is an issue biting in Labor’s heartland. News_Rich_Media: Julia Gillard’s Timor backflip Ms Gillard spoke first to East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta, the ceremonial head of the nation, instead of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao or any members of the government. Questioned on 4BC about the impression she gave Australians that the centre would be in East Timor, Ms Gillard said that was not right. “Once again with respect and obviously happy to be judged on what I say and what I said in the speech was not that. I did not say that.†Ms Gillard said she had said there was no quick fix to the asylum seeker problem and there would need to be discussions across the region. “I’m not going to leave undisturbed the impression that I made an announcement about a specific location,’’ Ms Gillard told 4BC. Asked where the proposed centre would be, Ms Gillard said: “Well, this will have to emerge from the work with our regional neighbours.’’
Prime Minister Gusmao said he was currently “very busy†with other government business and that he had asked President Jose Ramos-Horta to continue discussions with Ms Gillard and report back to him when the plan was more mature, The Australian reported.
But Mr Gusmao gave conditional support to the proposal for asylum-seekers to be processed at a regional centre based in East Timor.
He said he had “open mind†on the proposal, but warned that he would need to see the detail of Ms Gillard’s proposal. Even then, he said at a press conference in Dili, the plan would require extensive investigation by his government and lengthy debate in the parliament before the measure could proceed.
Consultation lacking
Ms Gillard has been accused of failing to properly consult East Timor about her boatpeople plan, with Tony Abbott saying it showed that amateurs were running the country. Ms Gillard should have known to deal with East Timor’s prime minister, not its president, who holds no executive role, the opposition leader said. “The fact she did not know this and did not think to ask this demonstrates that frankly we have amateurs running the Australian government,†he said. But Mr Gusmao denied being offended by Ms Gillard’s diplomatic gaffe. Ms Gillard has admitted she’s yet to speak to East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao about her proposal to send asylum seekers to a regional processing centre she wants built there. She said she will speak to Mr Gusmao in coming days, after talks with President Jose Ramos-Horta indicated he was open to discussions about the plan. But Mr Gusmao’s deputy Jose Luis Guterres has already said East Timor was “very unlikely†to agree to Ms Gillard’s plan announced earlier this week.
Negative reaction
Across the Tasman New Zealand’s refugee council has warned that the country should steer clear of backing Australia’s proposed regional processing centre. The New Zealand Refugee Council (NZRC) said Australia had different “asylum issues which are presently bound up in domestic politics related to their own upcoming electionsâ€Â. The NZRC said it didn’t think Gillard’s proposal to return to Howard era offshore detention centres was a good solution given the â€œappalling conditions in existing Australian asylum detention centresâ€Â. “No New Zealand taxpayer funding should be applied to supporting a regional transitional camp in East Timor,†a statement from the council said.
The Prime Minister is under fire for the approach she has taken in securing East Timor’s support for a coordinated neighbourhood approach to stop asylum seekers reaching Australia’s shores. The troubles come on the eve of a possible federal election where migration is an issue biting in Labor’s heartland. News_Rich_Media: Julia Gillard’s Timor backflip Ms Gillard spoke first to East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta, the ceremonial head of the nation, instead of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao or any members of the government. Questioned on 4BC about the impression she gave Australians that the centre would be in East Timor, Ms Gillard said that was not right. “Once again with respect and obviously happy to be judged on what I say and what I said in the speech was not that. I did not say that.†Ms Gillard said she had said there was no quick fix to the asylum seeker problem and there would need to be discussions across the region. “I’m not going to leave undisturbed the impression that I made an announcement about a specific location,’’ Ms Gillard told 4BC. Asked where the proposed centre would be, Ms Gillard said: “Well, this will have to emerge from the work with our regional neighbours.’’
Prime Minister Gusmao said he was currently “very busy†with other government business and that he had asked President Jose Ramos-Horta to continue discussions with Ms Gillard and report back to him when the plan was more mature, The Australian reported.
But Mr Gusmao gave conditional support to the proposal for asylum-seekers to be processed at a regional centre based in East Timor.
He said he had “open mind†on the proposal, but warned that he would need to see the detail of Ms Gillard’s proposal. Even then, he said at a press conference in Dili, the plan would require extensive investigation by his government and lengthy debate in the parliament before the measure could proceed.
Consultation lacking
Ms Gillard has been accused of failing to properly consult East Timor about her boatpeople plan, with Tony Abbott saying it showed that amateurs were running the country. Ms Gillard should have known to deal with East Timor’s prime minister, not its president, who holds no executive role, the opposition leader said. “The fact she did not know this and did not think to ask this demonstrates that frankly we have amateurs running the Australian government,†he said. But Mr Gusmao denied being offended by Ms Gillard’s diplomatic gaffe. Ms Gillard has admitted she’s yet to speak to East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao about her proposal to send asylum seekers to a regional processing centre she wants built there. She said she will speak to Mr Gusmao in coming days, after talks with President Jose Ramos-Horta indicated he was open to discussions about the plan. But Mr Gusmao’s deputy Jose Luis Guterres has already said East Timor was “very unlikely†to agree to Ms Gillard’s plan announced earlier this week.
Negative reaction
Across the Tasman New Zealand’s refugee council has warned that the country should steer clear of backing Australia’s proposed regional processing centre. The New Zealand Refugee Council (NZRC) said Australia had different “asylum issues which are presently bound up in domestic politics related to their own upcoming electionsâ€Â. The NZRC said it didn’t think Gillard’s proposal to return to Howard era offshore detention centres was a good solution given the â€œappalling conditions in existing Australian asylum detention centresâ€Â. “No New Zealand taxpayer funding should be applied to supporting a regional transitional camp in East Timor,†a statement from the council said.
