Tony Abbott's proposal to use the navy to turn back every asylum seeker boat should his Coalition win the 2013 election is illegal and immoral, the Australian Greens said today.
"It breaks the law because it overrides Australia's international obligations under the Refugee Convention," Greens' immigration spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said today.
"It's immoral because it will put at risk the lives of navy personnel and asylum seekers. Navy personnel who served during the Howard years have said turning back boats was distressing and they were in danger while they carried out the government's policy.
"The Coalition's policy would breach international law and would undermine efforts to tackle a regional, indeed, world-wide problem. This would destroy regional cooperation and hinder our relationships with Indonesia and our other neighbours.
"The Gillard government must strongly declare it will not accept any moves to bring back temporary protection visas. Past experience showed TPVs worsened the mental health of people granted shelter in Australia because they could not get jobs and be reunited with their families. TPVs were a factor in the loss of the SIEV X in 2001 as most passengers were women and children who felt they had no other way to reach their husbands and fathers in Australia.
"The Greens categorically reject the Abbott Coalition's policy and we urge the Labor government do the same. No amount of politicking on the issue of asylum seekers - which is a humanitarian problem - will deliver practical and humane responses."