http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/gillard-turns-to-howards-pacific-solution/story-e6frf7jo-1226050819450

The last month when Julia Gillard's immigration policy has clearly gone up in flames, and her East Timor promise has sunk without trace, in a move spurred by desperation, she looks to abandon the pacific solution that Labor has long scorned.

Re branded temporary protection visas also look likely to make a re appearance.

Welcome to the real world.

Meanwhile, the person who is most responsible for reopening this terrible onshore asylum-seeker wound has effectively sidestepped the whole caboodle and become entrenched in a very cushy job…. which he utterly doesn’t deserve.

He should have been booted clean out of the country for that almighty stuff-up.

So now the desperate Laborites are… um…desperate to do something about this situation… and yes, they can see that the only real solution, short of just turning the boats around, or sending the vast majority of asylum seekers home under a much tougher interpretation of a refugee, is just what Howard did.

The sooner this is done, the better.

Chris Bowen's quote from last year

'The Pacific solution was a cynical, costly and ultimately unsuccessful exercise introduced on the eve of a federal election by the Howard government.'

What a shameless Government. Continuing to eat humble pie does not deter them.

There has been no back flip by PM Gillard.

What she proposed was a assessing centre in the region that had the backing of the UN on refugees.

Timor was investigated as an option. This now appears unlikely and other similar countries are being looked at.

It has been known for some time that New Guinea was interested. Nothing new has occurred. This option is not the same as Nauru.

What I question is the need for further action. The number of refugees coming by boat has more than halved in the last year. The reality is that the problem will solve itself over time, when conditions in the countries they are fleeing from improve.

Flo,

I was a Labor supporter -

Labor was full of criticism the whole set-up involving Nauru - the Pacific Solution (what a chilling term) and "offshore processing" in general before they gained power.

They've been desperate and dateless ever since - and have resorted to cruising the curbs of our poorest neighbours looking for succour.

In almost every aspect of governance and and style of policy formation they are indistinguishable from the Liberal Party...ie, they take their cues from populism and are media driven entities. They both resort to dog-whistling when it suits their agenda.

How disappointing that in this day and age we have two clones vying for government - with neither brandishing a skerrick of wise leadership between them.

Good morning Australia.
As the newly appointed leader of the Australian Labor party I wish to say I am sorry.
Sorry that we reacted to polls and opposition confrontation.
That we appeared to place little value on good policy's and stick to them.
I understand we have been all over the shop on many issues.
That we in doing so took your eyes, and yours ,off the oppositions true intentions and hollow promises.
I too beg for forgiveness, truly, that our great party,lead by fear, failure and cronyism at times, feared the growth of the greens more than our own fate.
This morning is day one.
I undertake these changes, we will stop the boats, UN or no UN Australia will decide who comes here,it is unfortunate that we have gone out of our way to help those who can afford to pay criminals to travel here. .
Further climate change, I forgive Australia,I too am having difficulty in understanding what our policy is/are will be has been.

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