SENATOR KRISTINA KENEALLY
DEPUTY LABOR LEADER IN THE SENATE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES
ANDREW GILES MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIES AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER ASSISTING FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
MEMBER FOR SCULLIN
Labor today welcomes the Morrison Government’s nine-year belated decision to accept New Zealand’s offer to resettle 150 refugees per year from Nauru and Australia.
However, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Kristina Keneally, warned the announcement is just another pre-election promise to protect inner-city Liberal seats, and the Liberals might never actually implement the deal.
“This is a humiliating backflip for Scott Morrison who claimed as recently as 2018 that New Zealand’s generous offer to resettle refugees would see people smugglers restart their evil trade,” Senator Keneally said.
“Peter Dutton foolishly backed in Mr Morrison, saying New Zealand is being ‘marketed and pitched’ as a destination by people-smugglers.
“That was not true then, and is not true now – as the Morrison Government has been forced to admit today.”
The original New Zealand refugee deal, signed by Julia Gillard and John Key in 2013, would have ensured 150 refugees could move to New Zealand every year, but the deal was ripped up by the Liberals.
“While Labor welcomes this backflip by the Liberals, Australians know that they can’t trust Mr Morrison to deliver.
“Only Labor will make sure the New Zealand resettlement deal is delivered. Only Labor will restore humanity to Australia’s immigration policies, while also protecting Australia’s borders through Operation Sovereign Borders.”
Shadow Minister Assisting for Immigration and Citizenship, Andrew Giles MP, said the Liberals have no credibility when in comes to delivering on their election promises.
“This is just a desperate Prime Minister making another empty promise to sandbag inner-city Liberals seats,” Mr Giles said.
“Mr Morrison and the Liberals have never seen a visa or refugee promise they aren’t prepared to break.
“Mr Morrison promised the Nationals an uncapped agricultural visa with a pathway to permanency – but instead switched to a visa cap of 1000 places with no pathway to permanency.
“The Liberals also promised to implement Labor’s temporary parent visas policy, only to break their promise and charge thousands for parents and grandparents to come visit their families in Australia.”