Last Friday on Sky News Agenda, Senator Joyce was asked what should be done to tackle the increasing number of boat arrivals appearing in Australian waters, now with tragic consequences.
Senator Joyce’s suggestion to Ashley Gillon was that, ‘Mr Rudd should focus not so much on Indonesia but in a diplomatic engagement with Sri Lanka, while seeking support from India.’
It’s now apparent that Mr Rudd has recently spoken with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and has dispatched senior diplomat John McCarthy to Colombo.
He is taking a form of my advice so I could hardly criticise him for that but the substance is lacking. Mr Rudd should go himself to Sri Lanka and not Mr Mccarthy.
Mr Rudd should go himself so that he can personally be in a position to determine if it is safe for those migrants to return and be repatriated in their own country.
Mr Rudd should divert his attention from being a global warrior on climate change to being a diligent, compassionate and strong negotiator, by delivering guarantees of safety and wellbeing for these Sri Lankan citizens on their return home.
Representatives of the Sri Lankan Government have stated that their safety is guaranteed if they are returned and I imagine Mr Rudd could be able to negotiate that this guarantee is properly monitored by an independent source to ensure it is delivered.
This would be a far cheaper alternative than the extension of the Christmas Island Detention Centre which appears to be the Rudd Government’s only alternative solution to the problem.
The Australian people are far more interested in our nation achieving a result with the issue of border protection than participation in a Danish festival, which will be far more of a contributor to a carbon footprint, by reason of air travel, than the deliverer of any global agreement.
If Mr Rudd is seen at the political super sermon in Copenhagen, whilst the economic migrants are making their own arrangements on how to gain entry to Australia, then that will be a very bad look for Mr Rudd indeed.
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