Opposition immigration spokesman calls it the 'single most effective' way to prevent lives being lost at sea

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Labor would continue the policy of offshore processing for asylum seekers if it won the next election, its immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, has said.



In a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday, Marles described offshore processing as the “single most effective” policy to prevent asylum seekers drowning while trying to reach Australia.



“Were Labor to form government at the next election we would keep offshore processing in place,” he said.



“We would, because it is the single most effective deterrent in seeing people not risk their lives at sea and we cannot from a position of compassion abide a situation where we are seeing that tragic loss of life at sea on our borders.”



Marles described the “principal measure” for reducing boat arrivals as the processing regime in Papua New Guinea, and criticised the Coalition’s unwillingness to support the previous Labor government’s proposal to set up a processing system with Malaysia.



Asked whether the Coalition's policy of turning back boats had contributed to reducing the number of arrivals, he said: “It is hard to answer the question fully in circumstances where we do not know what is happening on our high seas.



“Whatever solution that is arrived at can’t be one which is just happening by virtue of a success last month or this month, it needs to survive this year and next year.”



Marles said the Coalition’s attempt to reintroduce temporary protection visas (TPVs), which has been defeated by the Greens and Labor, was not an effective way to deter asylum seekers.



“Their only role will be in relation to the 30,000 asylum seekers in Australia … by definition, TPVs cannot act as a deterrent. They are costly, they are shortsighted and create a cycle of despair and dependence,” he said.

He criticised the government’s management of the Manus Island detention centre following the release of a review by the former public servant Robert Cornall on Monday.

“It is clear from the Cornall report released yesterday that the government breached its duty of care to the people on Manus Island,” Marles said.