Tears as Australian troops farewelled

23 Oct, 2001 12:33 AM5 mins to read

GREG ANSLEY reports on how the wars against terrorism and asylum seekers are shaping the election.

CANBERRA - Prime Minister John Howard is preparing a major speech to further outline his decision to commit forces to America's war against terrorism.

Howard's decision follows mounting criticism of his failure to meet Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri at the Apec summit in Shanghai, China, over the issue of asylum-seekers.

It also came as Opposition Leader Kim Beazley joined the Prime Minister in the spotlight of war, jointly farewelling 150 SAS troopers heading to Afghanistan within the next week.

Yesterday a junior minister farewelled the command ship HMAS Kanimbla on its departure for the US-led anti-terrorism naval force from Sydney. Emotions ran high as crew members said goodbye to family members for a last time and sprinted on board just before the gangway was lifted.

Howard, who also failed to gain a substantive meeting with US President George Bush in Shanghai, has cloaked his decision to explain the war in the mantle of statesmanship. Because of this, there is little chance of criticism from Beazley.

The Labor Leader had earlier called for better explanations of Australia's participation from both sides of Parliament, and will be given the right of reply to Howard's speech.

The Prime Minister has also tried to distance the decision from the campaign, debating whether his statement should be presented as an address to the nation.

"The only thing is I am conscious of the fact we are in the middle of an election campaign and I may draw some criticism in relation to that," he said.

But while Howard may try to draw a line between issues of immediate national security and the cut and thrust of domestic politics, Osama bin Laden and the armada of asylum-seekers setting out from Indonesia are his strongest electoral weapons.

Although Howard has been holding back the release of his major policies - the official Coalition launch will be held in Sydney next Sunday - Beazley has been hammering away with a policy a day since the election was called.

At the weekend he announced a $A545 million ($666 million) health policy, following it yesterday with another to ease the burden on the voluntary carers of Australia's chronically ill and disabled.

Beazley further hit Howard with another stomach punch by promising to apologise on behalf of the nation to the Stolen Generation, the Aborigines who were taken from their parents as children.

Howard has consistently refused to offer any more than his personal regrets.

Labor has also been warmed by the resignation of South Australian Premier John Olsen - the last remaining Liberal state leader - after revelations that he misled Parliament.

In the Australian Capital Territory Labor looks like displacing the Liberals in minority government after last weekend's territory election.

But Beazley has his own distractions.

Scandal and mud-hurling around colleague Cheryl Kernot reached a new level when the employment spokeswoman's husband attacked a television camera crew, and prominent Labor backbencher Mark Latham has admitted breaking a cabbie's arm in a scuffle.

The Government's campaign for rural Australia has also been launched.

National Party Leader John Anderson unveiled a $A316 million plan to improve aged care, roads, broadcasting and telecommunications in the bush.

Meanwhile, in a continuation of the hard line against illegal immigration that has given the Government a major boost before the election, Australia was flying about 200 asylum-seekers to the remote Papua New Guinea island of Manus.

They will be processed as part of a policy barring boatpeople from the mainland.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said the transfer of the boatpeople, believed to be mostly Iraqis, from Australia's remote Christmas Island to Manus began on Sunday.

Another boat of asylum-seekers, most claiming to be from Afghanistan, remained moored off the Indian Ocean island territory after arriving on Saturday and being intercepted by an Australian Navy frigate.

Ruddock's spokesman said there was no way the second boat of asylum-seekers would set foot on Australian soil, reiterating Canberra's uncompromising stance, which now has the mostly Muslim boatpeople sent to Pacific islands for processing.

"Not to the mainland, no ... there are a couple of options being looked at, I would expect some sort of movement on that within the next day or so," he said.

The spokesman said there was enough space at PNG's Manus Island processing centre to take the second boatload of asylum-seekers, but said an agreement would have to be reached with the PNG Government to accept more people. Manus lies about 350km off PNG.

"We wouldn't be assuming that any boat that arrives [will now go to PNG]. Each boat would have to be taken on a case-by-case basis," he said.

Australia has paid for the construction of an asylum processing centre on Nauru, which is now close to full, and has done a similar deal with PNG to its north. It has also approached Fiji, Palau and Kiribati.

Despite human rights criticism, Australia's hard line against boatpeople has won bi-partisan support from the Labor Party.

- STAFF REPORTER, AGENCIES

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