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| Labor in bipartisan 'race to the bottom' on asylum seekers, says Jon Stanhope Labor in bipartisan 'race to the bottom' on asylum seekers, says Jon Stanhope | |
| (2 months later) | |
| The Labor party has abandoned its principles and a large section of its voter base by embracing a “rigid bipartisanship” on the issue of asylum seekers, a party stalwart and former administrator of Christmas Island, Jon Stanhope, has said. | The Labor party has abandoned its principles and a large section of its voter base by embracing a “rigid bipartisanship” on the issue of asylum seekers, a party stalwart and former administrator of Christmas Island, Jon Stanhope, has said. |
| Stanhope is one of Australia’s longest-serving heads of state or territory governments, presiding over the Australian Capital Territory for Labor for a decade. He has worked as an adviser to former federal Labor MPs, and from 2012 to 2014 oversaw the governance of Christmas Island. | Stanhope is one of Australia’s longest-serving heads of state or territory governments, presiding over the Australian Capital Territory for Labor for a decade. He has worked as an adviser to former federal Labor MPs, and from 2012 to 2014 oversaw the governance of Christmas Island. |
| But the party elder has broken ranks on the indefinite offshore detention of asylum seeker children, labelling it “state-initiated and sanctioned cruelty”. | But the party elder has broken ranks on the indefinite offshore detention of asylum seeker children, labelling it “state-initiated and sanctioned cruelty”. |
| “My great concern about the Labor party’s position now – my great lament – is that it is engaged in a process that’s taken them to the bottom where they’ve abandoned their principles, they’ve abandoned their own membership and a core constituency, and they don’t have a plan B,” Stanhope told Guardian Australia. | “My great concern about the Labor party’s position now – my great lament – is that it is engaged in a process that’s taken them to the bottom where they’ve abandoned their principles, they’ve abandoned their own membership and a core constituency, and they don’t have a plan B,” Stanhope told Guardian Australia. |
| The two major parties have engaged in a “rigid” and “muscular” bipartisanship on the issue of offshore detention, and Labor has not been able to “dig themselves out of the mire”, Stanhope said. | The two major parties have engaged in a “rigid” and “muscular” bipartisanship on the issue of offshore detention, and Labor has not been able to “dig themselves out of the mire”, Stanhope said. |
| “What we see today is that the Labor party is silent. There’s a prospect of sending more children to Nauru and the Labor party is silent because they’re in this unholy alliance with the government that they daren’t breach. So I just don’t know how we’re going to resolve this appalling situation that we have gotten ourselves into because there is a single approach [in policymaking],” he said. | “What we see today is that the Labor party is silent. There’s a prospect of sending more children to Nauru and the Labor party is silent because they’re in this unholy alliance with the government that they daren’t breach. So I just don’t know how we’re going to resolve this appalling situation that we have gotten ourselves into because there is a single approach [in policymaking],” he said. |
| “The politics is hard, I think we all know that this is a hard issue. I’m not pretending the answers are easy. I simply refuse to believe that there aren’t options. I think that the mistake the Labor party has made with its muscular bipartisanship – we express it through the race to the bottom which both Labor and Liberals have engaged in.” | “The politics is hard, I think we all know that this is a hard issue. I’m not pretending the answers are easy. I simply refuse to believe that there aren’t options. I think that the mistake the Labor party has made with its muscular bipartisanship – we express it through the race to the bottom which both Labor and Liberals have engaged in.” |
| The children that are on Nauru now were sent there because of a policy put there by my party | The children that are on Nauru now were sent there because of a policy put there by my party |
| “Indefinite offshore detention was re-initiated by my party. The children that are on Nauru now were sent there because of a policy put there by my party. It weighs on me very, very heavily. It’s institutionalised, government initiated and sanctioned cruelty. It is. | “Indefinite offshore detention was re-initiated by my party. The children that are on Nauru now were sent there because of a policy put there by my party. It weighs on me very, very heavily. It’s institutionalised, government initiated and sanctioned cruelty. It is. |
| “We know we’re harming those children. We as a nation are harming children knowingly, and perhaps permanently and I just don’t think that any nation can live with its own conscience or itself doing that.” | “We know we’re harming those children. We as a nation are harming children knowingly, and perhaps permanently and I just don’t think that any nation can live with its own conscience or itself doing that.” |
| Rather than taking the heat out of the debate on asylum seekers, Labor’s bipartisan approach is “turning the screws” on “draconian” policymaking that is a complete abrogation of Australia’s responsibilities under the UN refugee convention, Stanhope said. | Rather than taking the heat out of the debate on asylum seekers, Labor’s bipartisan approach is “turning the screws” on “draconian” policymaking that is a complete abrogation of Australia’s responsibilities under the UN refugee convention, Stanhope said. |
| “For my party, the Labor party, to be a willing part of that is very difficult,” he said. | “For my party, the Labor party, to be a willing part of that is very difficult,” he said. |
| He has lashed out at federal Labor MPs for failing to publicly object to the direction the party has headed. | He has lashed out at federal Labor MPs for failing to publicly object to the direction the party has headed. |
| “I have no doubt that a significant number of my colleagues in the federal parliament – particularly within the left of the party – are deeply uncomfortable with the policies. But the difficulty is, they’ve become apologists for the machine.” | “I have no doubt that a significant number of my colleagues in the federal parliament – particularly within the left of the party – are deeply uncomfortable with the policies. But the difficulty is, they’ve become apologists for the machine.” |
| Not a single MP voted down retrospective changes to the Migration Act that helped the legislation withstand a recent high court challenge, he said. | Not a single MP voted down retrospective changes to the Migration Act that helped the legislation withstand a recent high court challenge, he said. |
| “Every single member of the Labor party put up their hand and said ‘aye’. Just as every single member of the Labor party put up their hand and said ‘aye’ to the amendments to the Border Force Act that actually criminalised doctors and medical professionals advocating on behalf of clients on Nauru and Manus. The Labor party voted for that, every single one of them.” | “Every single member of the Labor party put up their hand and said ‘aye’. Just as every single member of the Labor party put up their hand and said ‘aye’ to the amendments to the Border Force Act that actually criminalised doctors and medical professionals advocating on behalf of clients on Nauru and Manus. The Labor party voted for that, every single one of them.” |
| Stanhope admitted that taking on the role of administrator for Christmas Island, a territory that houses a massive Australian detention centre, deeply affected him. | Stanhope admitted that taking on the role of administrator for Christmas Island, a territory that houses a massive Australian detention centre, deeply affected him. |
| “Upwards of 20,000 asylum seekers came to Christmas Island in the two years I spent there and I went out of my way to seek to engage [with them],” he said. | “Upwards of 20,000 asylum seekers came to Christmas Island in the two years I spent there and I went out of my way to seek to engage [with them],” he said. |
| A number of state and territory first ministers, including current ACT chief minister Andrew Barr, have written to the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, urging him to let the 267 asylum seekers who were at the heart of this month’s failed high court challenge stay in Australia. | A number of state and territory first ministers, including current ACT chief minister Andrew Barr, have written to the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, urging him to let the 267 asylum seekers who were at the heart of this month’s failed high court challenge stay in Australia. |
| On Sunday, the New South Wales Labor party national conference passed a motion calling on Turnbull to work with the states and territories that have offered to resettle the refugees to spare them from being deported to Nauru. | On Sunday, the New South Wales Labor party national conference passed a motion calling on Turnbull to work with the states and territories that have offered to resettle the refugees to spare them from being deported to Nauru. |
| “A sense of compassion is in the best interests of these families and our status as a fair and decent nation,” the motion said. “We have an obligation to care for these asylum seekers and to provide them a safe, secure and welcoming environment.” | “A sense of compassion is in the best interests of these families and our status as a fair and decent nation,” the motion said. “We have an obligation to care for these asylum seekers and to provide them a safe, secure and welcoming environment.” |
| Labor’s left faction lost a vote in the party’s national conference in July to explicitly prohibit the turning back of asylum boats. Months earlier, the shadow immigration minister, Richard Marles, had indicated that Labor could adopt turnbacks, a cornerstone of the Coalition’s Operation Sovereign Borders policy. | Labor’s left faction lost a vote in the party’s national conference in July to explicitly prohibit the turning back of asylum boats. Months earlier, the shadow immigration minister, Richard Marles, had indicated that Labor could adopt turnbacks, a cornerstone of the Coalition’s Operation Sovereign Borders policy. |