AFP officers to operate Nauru transfer

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare revealed details of federal police involvement in the transfer of the refugees to Nauru while making a plea for the opposition and Australian Greens to stop fighting over the asylum seeker issue.

He said the first transfer of asylum seekers to Nauru was expected later this week, pending approval by parliament, and about 90 AFP officers would accompany them to ensure the process runs smoothly.

‘The number of AFP officers on individual transfers will vary according to operational considerations and requirements of each transfer,’ Mr Clare said.

He said for operational reasons, the AFP would not reveal more details.

Mr Clare went on to accuse the opposition and the Greens of denying the government the power it felt was necessary to save the lives of people at sea.

He said Australians were sick of the political fighting over asylum seekers and the focus must turn to saving lives.

‘We can’t be held hostage in this place … to stupid political fighting, this is too important for that,’ Mr Clare said.

‘It’s time to put down our swords and it’s time to stop playing politics.’

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the coalition could not be blamed if the processing of asylum seekers on Nauru failed, because the government had failed to implement the full suite of the opposition’s policy, which included turning back boats.

He said unless the government implemented all of the Howard government’s Pacific Solution policies, including temporary protection visas, Nauru would be overflowing with illegal immigrants.

‘You break it, you own it,’ Mr Morrison said.

‘And that is going to happen with this government if they fail to implement the full suite of Howard government measures.

‘Don’t come back to the coalition when you find that the things that we said would not work on their own, don’t work.

‘Put them in place now.’

He said the government had butchered its own policy on the Malaysia people-swap deal and had achieved a ‘catastrophic bungling mistake’.

Source: skynews