The ALP made some minor changes to its refugee policy at its April national conference but maintained its approach: deterring asylum seekers from applying for refugee status after entering Australian waters.
Delegates at the conference agreed to overturn the Coalition's policy of excising much of Australia's closer and more remote islands from the migration act. PM John Howard's laws mean that if asylum seekers land on most of the 3000 to 4000 islands that are part of Australia (with the exception of Tasmania), they will be unable to apply for refugee status under the UN charter.
The new Labor policy will return most of these islands to normal migration status — but not Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) or Ashmore Reef. An amendment to return these islands to normal migration status was defeated.
The ALP conference also voted to abolish temporary protection visas (TPVs) which allow asylum seekers temporary protection from persecution but denies them access to social services, the right to work and can be revoked if officials believe that the cause of persecution has ended.
Tony Burke, shadow minister for immigration, motivated the change this way: "The reason I gave … for us getting rid of the policy of TPVs was because that policy encouraged people to put their lives at risk on the high seas. We didn't know it at the time we supported it, but the results … show that when the TPV policy was introduced the number of people putting their lives at risk on the high seas went up."
These comments indicate that, for Burke at least, the change in policy was not motivated by a concern to provide protection to those facing persecution, but rather by a desire to reduce the number of refugee applicants entering Australian waters.
There was no change to the policy of supporting mandatory detention or to closing any of the refugee detention centres including the new hi-tech one being completed on Christmas Island.