Labor's tide in and out on boats

Recall in 2006, when the then-opposition immigration spokesperson claimed that Jakarta was running Canberra? Or as he put it, "This Government has decided that Indonesia will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come" (The Age, June 15).

To Burke, at least, the Coalition was too soft on Jarkata. Or as he stressed, "The Prime Minister's attempts to appease Indonesia were the opposite of border protection. They were border surrender" (The 7:30 Report, August 14).

Was he inspired by Paul Keating's introduction of indefinite mandatory detention for unauthorised arrivals in 1992? Or, just trying to create a conflict with Indonesia?

For what it's worth, I believe in a Big Australia. The problem is that Labor's history of immigration spin is undermining the public's faith in a safe pro-immigration culture.

Moreover, if one's suffering from Labor Alzheimer's one needs to be reminded of Bob Hawke's history of strong language, as summarised on the The Australian's loud front-pagein 1977 (November 29): "Hawke: Return bogus refugees."

The Northern Territory Labor Council advanced the nutmeg theory that refugees were "pirates, brothel keepers and drug runners" too (N.Y. Times News Service, December 15, 1977).

Then, there was Gough Whitlam's overlooked record on so-called Asian pirates. Or as the renowned political scientist, John P. Roche opined, "the egregious leader of the Australian Labor Party…practically suggested before the recent general election they may be shoved off in the general direction of the South Pole" (The Times-News, January 13, 1978).

Labor's election vocabulary indicates a desire to be all things to all voters. Tell refugee advocates how libertarian you're while reminding security hawks how tough you'll be. After all, and despite accusations that you stand for nothing, it's important to confuse people.

Yet, as Julia Gillard found, confusing voters in the short-term is damaging for the ALP's long-term credibility. At least the High Court didn't buy her unfair Malaysia solution in 2011; a "solution" even Burke is running from.

Since 2008, 45,000 people have been lured to Australia on dangerous boats, but Labor is also confronted with the fact that 1,000-plus people have drowned on their watch. All desperate asylum-seekers seem to know is that Canberra said they'd turn around the boats but didn't; a contradiction exploited by "smugglers."

As for the future, Prime Minister Rudd is still writing Labor's"boat people" story. It's just that it won't have a happy ending unless it's a consistent one.