Parrot,

I also note that at no point did Abbott mention towing back the boats. I see you had to go back 2 years to even find where the word towing was used by an interviewer.

In short Pathetic fail!

Here you go peoples:

This is Tony Abbott "not" saying the word "tow" but responding with enthusiasm to Steve Price's questions about "tow backs".

..........

STEVE PRICE:

I notice the Opposition spokesman Michael Keenan last night on Sky talking again about towing boats back to Indonesia. Is that really a viable option?

TONY ABBOTT:

It's happened before and…

STEVE PRICE:

Well, you did it what, 11 times in government?

TONY ABBOTT:

That's my understanding…

STEVE PRICE:

I think 11 or seven, I might be wrong on the figure.

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, we didn't make a big fanfare about it, Steve, because if you want to get things done in Indonesia you don't in the process humiliate the Indonesian government and this is the difficulty with the Rudd-Gillard approach.

STEVE PRICE:

But how does boat towing work in practice?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, that's the kind of operational question that would have to be worked out by the commander on the spot and I'm not going to set myself up as an expert, but what's been done in the past can under the right conditions be done again in the future.

STEVE PRICE:

So you would intercept boats in international waters, check that they are seaworthy and try and either convince them to turn around and go back from where they came or attach a rope and tow them back?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, as I said Steve, I'm not going to get into the precise operational details because that would be a matter for the commanders on the spot but it's been done in the past, successfully done in the past and what was done in the past can be done again in the future."

......

Note - Abbott had plenty of opportunity to put Steve Price right on the subject of Lib policy - if, as they are "now" claiming tow backs were not part of it - but he didn't do it. He continued to reply on the subject "tow backs".

SM....The Coalition is saying it "never" had a policy of tow back.

this is a thread about what many think is quite wrong.
Well Belly,
to call that big Goaf a living treasure is not only wrong but an out-right insult to those of us who had their life all but ruined by him & his outfit.

R U O K Indy?
Is some one looking after you mate?
Is life that bad you spend it watching this place to find some one to insult.
Wondering if you are aware just how child like you seem?
One thing remains a secrete what or you on about?

Parrot,

How you are wiggling! In the entire interview Abbott never used the word tow or towing. Under Howard, boats were successfully turned back, with some being towed back.

"On 16 July, 2013, Abbott told 4BC Radio in Brisbane that “our policy is turn-around, not strictly speaking tow backs. It’s turn-around. But we’ve done it before, we can do it again. These boats are Indonesian-flagged, Indonesian-crewed, Indonesian-home ported. They have a right to proceed to an Indonesian port.”"

So essentially for those who struggle with the English language the coalition policy is to turn back the boats by various means, which does not exclude towing back the boats either part of the way or entirely to the edge of Indonesian territorial waters, but does not rely exclusively on tow backs.

SM,(minister for roolly clever namies)

You're getting weirder.

Tony Abbott waxes enthusiastically over Michael keenan's interview on towbacks and Steve Price's questions on towbacks.

...and Shadow Minister reckons because he didn't use the word "tow" that he didn't discuss towbacks as a Coalition imperative.

You are the wiggler, SM.

Watching you wiggle since the election of these bozos is a highlight each and every day.

More please!

Lol!