Afghan asylum-seekers en route to Australia are held by police in Kupang, East Timor. Picture: AAP
Malcolm Turnbull on attack over asylum-seeker deal a.. Paul Maley b.. From: The Australian c.. November 17, 2009 12:00AM MALCOLM Turnbull has accused Kevin Rudd of misleading parliament following an admission the Prime Minister's office knew of a preferential deal for the 78 asylum-seekers aboard the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking. As Border Protection officers yesterday intercepted a boatload of 10 asylum-seekers - the third in 48 hours - Indonesian authorities denied soliciting bribes from a group of Afghans whose vessel was fired on, injuring two. And with the asylum-seeker issue straining relations with Jakarta, the Prime Minister's office was forced to deny that a decision by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to postpone his visit to Australia amounted to a diplomatic snub. Yesterday, the Opposition Leader used the first day of the final parliamentary sitting period this year to escalate his attack on the Rudd government, accusing the Prime Minister of misleading the parliament. Mr Turnbull's charge followed a torrid parliamentary session in which Mr Rudd denied any knowledge of the deal offered to those on board the Oceanic Viking to fast-track their resettlement in exchange for them leaving the boat. When asked if he either knew of, or had approved the deal, which would see successful refugees resettled within four to 12 weeks, Mr Rudd said the answer was "no and no". He later said the letter to the asylum-seekers had been formulated by the border protection committee of cabinet, on which his staff was represented. "This government, I as Prime Minister, fully endorse the handling of this matter, including this document from the immigration counsellor in Jakarta," Mr Rudd said. But he denied the accelerated processing represented a special deal, citing a letter from Immigration head Andrew Metcalfe saying the resettlement timeframes were "consistent with international practice". "The special deal being sought by those on the vessel was for the vessel to come to Australia," Mr Rudd said. "We have not responded to that pressure." Mr Rudd also revealed that a planned visit by Dr Yudhoyono would be more likely in February, rather than this month, as originally reported. Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop last night demanded the Prime Minister explain why the visit had been cancelled at the "last minute", saying the Liberal Party had been led to believe Dr Yudhoyono would arrive this Sunday. "We need to know whether the cancellation has anything to do with the way the Prime Minister in particular has handled this Oceanic Viking issue with Indonesia," Ms Bishop said on the ABC's Lateline program. She demanded to know why Mr Rudd had not held meetings with Dr Yudhoyono at the APEC conference at the weekend. "The Prime Minister has used what I would term megaphone diplomacy in dealing with Indonesia," Ms Bishop said. A spokesman for Mr Rudd said the postponement was without any diplomatic significance. Mr Turnbull leapt on the admission that Mr Rudd's staff knew of the deal, saying the Prime Minister had not been straight with the Australian public. In an accusation that drew comparisons with Mr Turnbull's prosecution of the Godwin Grech affair, the Opposition Leader accused the Prime Minister of misleading parliament. "There is no question that he has misled the House," Mr Turnbull said. "There is no question about that. The fact is, it is a preferential deal." Mr Turnbull nevertheless indicated the deal should be honoured. "I guess there's been an offer and acceptance," he said. "There's a question then of the integrity of the Australian government at stake." The Opposition Leader's charge earned a swift rebuke from the Prime Minister's office. "It's sad to see Mr Turnbull has learnt nothing from the fake email scandal," said a spokesman for Mr Rudd. "He's happy to produce big claims first and fail to produce evidence later." Mr Turnbull said there was a "low level" possibility Mr Rudd's staff had not told the Prime Minister about the deal with asylum-seekers before it was struck. The political theatrics came as Border Protection authorities spent a busy 48 hours intercepting three boats off Australia's northwest coast. Yesterday, a boat carrying 10 asylum-seekers and one crew was intercepted seven nautical miles northeast of Ashmore Islands. On Saturday, a boat with 47 passengers and three crew was stopped and on Sunday Border Protection intercepted a boat with 29 passengers and three crew. So far this year, 43 boats carrying a little more than 2000 asylum-seekers have arrived on Australian shores. Yesterday, Indonesian police denied the shooting of two Afghan asylum-seekers last week followed an attempt by police to extort money from the boatpeople, who were bound for Australia. Additional reporting: AAP
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