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July 15th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda 
Former Labor party leader Mark Latham has attacked John Robertson over the party’s asylum seeker policy. Picture: Ray Strange
Source: The Sunday Telegraph
Labor party leader John Robertson. Picture: Jane Dempster
Source: The Australian
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NSW LABOR leader John Robertson has been blamed by his own party for the government’s failed asylum seeker policy.
Former leader Mark Latham said Mr Robertson had “wrecked” Labor policy on asylum seekers after he had established the group, Labor For Refugees, when he was Unions NSW boss in 2001.
The group pushed for an end to offshore processing of refugees and an end to mandatory detention.
Mr Latham said during a caucus meeting of the NSW Right faction he argued against Mr Robertson’s push for a softening of policy on dealing with boat arrivals which he described as going further than what the Greens are now pushing for today.
“Asylum seeker policy is about what works and what doesn’t work,” Mr Latham told the Paul Murray Live program on Monday night.
“The fact that Robertson 10 years ago didn’t have the common sense to know that getting rid of the offshore processing would lead to people drowning . . . he’s got to take responsibility for it.”
Labor is moving to distance itself from the Greens following their decision to block a compromised deal for offshore processing in the federal parliament last month. Eight-hundred people have drowned since Kevin Rudd was elected PM in 2007.
Labor’s NSW secretary Sam Dastyari said Labor had to distance itself from the Greens. But the former opposition leader said Mr Dastyari was “still in short pants” when the NSW Right had the meeting 10 years ago that sealed the party’s fate on the issue.
Mr Latham described Mr Robertson as more of a problem than the Greens and said his leadership was definitely not the solution.
But Mr Robertson, who did not deny he continued to support onshore processing, said he would be worried by the comments if Latham was a credible Labor leader.
“Quite frankly, Mark Latham attacking me is more of a badge of honour,” he said.
Mr Robertson said the debate was much more complex than simplifying it down to whether you support offshore processing or not.
A number of Labor figures have confirmed the meeting took place. One said Mr Robertson’s push for a softer asylum seeker position was part of a “history” which would always hurt his credibility as the party’s NSW leader.
“Ten years ago, John Robertson and the NSW Right didn’t understand that the wrong thing to do was to encourage people to come on rickety boats and risk drowning, which 800 tragically now have,” he said.
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