Oppn will talk if govt offers TPVs: Pyne

June 26th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Senior opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne says the coalition would “talk turkey” with the federal government if Labor re-introduced temporary protection visas (TPV) for illegal boat arrivals.

Labor and the coalition remain in a political deadlock over the offshore processing of asylum seekers after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott knocked back a return to the negotiating table.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called for talks aimed at securing a bipartisan breakthrough to stem the flow of asylum seeker boats making the dangerous journey to Australia and which has peaked at 19 known vessels so far this month.

There has been a renewed emphasis on the issue after the latest tragedy where around 90 people have died.

“If the government came back and said `we will reintroduce temporary protection visas’, I’m sure the opposition would talk turkey,” Mr Pyne told Sky News on Tuesday.

“They haven’t done that, they simply expect us to accept their dud policy.”

The government is reluctant to re-introduce TPVs as they believe it is not a deterrent.

Labor needs coalition support to pass a bill that would restore offshore processing and its controversial Malaysian people-swap deal.

However, the coalition is opposed to the Malaysia deal, arguing any country selected for offshore processing must be a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention – which would allow its preferred option of Nauru.

It also wants the government to resurrect TPVs and instruct maritime authorities to turn boats back to Indonesia when possible.

Mr Pyne said the boats stopped coming when the Howard government introduced TPVs.

Labor axed the Howard government’s so-called Pacific Solution to border protection when it came to power in November 2007.

Mr Pyne said people drowning in the seas off the northwest of Australia was awful, but it would not happen if the government had strong policies on border protection that took the “sugar off the table”.

“The Indonesians always say, once you put permanent residency back on the table, the people smugglers had a product to sell again,” he said.

About 90 asylum seekers are believed to have drowned when their overcrowded boat capsized between Indonesia and Christmas Island last Thursday. Another 110 were rescued.