In 2007, then opposition leader Kevin Rudd outfoxed prime minister John Howard in a game of political one-upmanship that was dubbed 'me-tooism'. Copying popular government policies was arguably the decisive factor that took Labor to victory in the federal election.
Once the election was over, Rudd moved on and proceeded to implement policies based on principle. We had the ratification of Kyoto, the apology to Indigenous Australians, and more. But now his government has been caught by surprise with the rapid upsurge in the number of refugee boat arrivals, and political instinct is once again determining how it acts.
Rudd said last week: 'Our job, and I make no apology for it, is to take a hardline approach in dealing with the challenge of illegal immigration.' The media juxtaposed this with Howard's infamous hard line from the time of Tampa: 'We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.'
In intercepting refugee boats on the high seas to prevent them reaching Australia, the Rudd Government is pursuing the unprincipled strategy for which it criticised the Howard Government. Further, it has co-opted Indonesia. The people on the boats have a right to have their claims examined, and it should be a source of pride for us to honour them by listening to their stories.
On Thursday, Crikey's Guy Rundle wrote on 'the basic right to fight and kick and scream to find refuge'. He was encouraging public pressure, particularly from 'church groups who should be out loud and early on the matter'. After all, as Rundle said, 'you have to be a most un-Christlike Christian ... to believe that one can disregard the "when I was homeless you took me in" provision, whenever the visitors have brown skin'.
There are a number of positive measures the Government can take to assist these people in their fight for basic human rights. One is to make a strident attempt to seek answers from the Sri Lankan Government on why so many Tamils are fleeing the country, especially if the the war is over and peace has returned.
It does appear that the Sri Lankan Government has fresh blood on its hands, and doesn't want the world to know about it. Last month, the Sri Lankan Government expelled UNICEF spokesperson James Elder (pictured), who was outspoken on the plight of civilians displaced during Sri Lanka's civil war. After receiving death