Malcolm Turnbull says the objective of the government’s Syrian refugee settlement program is to place people where there are opportunities to work, underlining LNP MP George Christensen’s opposition to settling the refugees in his Queensland region.
The prime minister spoke to Christensen after the backbencher told constituents that he had received assurances from the assistant minister for multicultural affairs, Craig Laundy, that no Syrian refugees would settle in the region of Mackay.
Laundy’s office confirmed the minister had told Christensen that refugees would only be settled where there were current settlement service providers. This did not include Christensen’s seat of Dawson.
Turnbull said Christensen was entitled to express his opinion about his own area.
“I understand it from George ... in his community, where there has been a downturn in the economy because of the downturn in the mining construction boom, and that’s happened in a number of big cities in North Queensland,” Turnbull said.
“Townsville being another example, of course. What he’s saying is because there aren’t a lot of jobs around ... it’s better for refugees who come in the humanitarian program to be located in places where there are more opportunities for work.
“But plainly the objective, when you bring in refugees into Australia, indeed any arrivals into Australia, is to put them in a position where they are given the skills and the opportunities to get into work – that is the whole objective.”
Christensen revealed his assurance from the minister on the day before Bill Shorten was due to campaign in his seat with the Labor candidate, Frank Gilbert. He called on Gilbert to make the same assurances given Gilbert’s wife, Julieanne Gilbert, is the Labor state member for Mackay.
“Given that Mrs Gilbert has repeatedly stated that she wants to see some of the 3,500 refugees that may be settled in Queensland come to the Mackay region, I ask Mr Gilbert to be straight with Mackay people and state his position,” Christensen said.
Shorten has been campaigning with the opposition education spokeswoman, Kate Ellis, and his candidates in north Queensland for the first four days of the marathon election campaign.
While Labor has sought to focus on education, Shorten has had to answer difficult questions on Labor’s asylum seeker policy this week after his Melbourne candidate, Sophie Ismail, questioned her party’s stance on the issue.
The Labor candidate for Herbert, Cathy O’Toole, also came under pressure to publicly back Labor’s asylum seeker policy after a photo of her emerged protesting outside LNP MP Ewen Jones’s office with a sign that said “Let Them Stay”.
Gilbert told Guardian Australia the people of Dawson were sick of Christensen’s divisiveness and said he believed the community was welcoming.
“People have had enough of Christensen’s grandstanding,” Gilbert said.
But he reiterated support for Labor’s turnback policy, combined with the humane resettlement of asylum seekers who apply through the proper processes.
The Coalition has sought to keep the asylum seeker issue in the news to capitalise on Labor’s discomfort.
Christensen quoted Laundy as ruling out any of the 12,000 Syrian refugees settling in the area, saying that any settlements would take place where there are refugee services.
“In his reply to me Mr Laundy clearly stated: ‘Sarina [in Mackay] is not currently a designated settlement location’ and ‘decisions on settlement locations are still being finalised, however the locations are expected to align with those where settlement service providers are already operating.’”
Laundy’s office confirmed that the comments were accurate but would not comment any further.
When Shorten did a street walk in Townsville on Wednesday, resident Jenny Gaylard told him the biggest issue in Townsville was unemployment. She said her son-in-law was unemployed, while her son was on short-term contacts with no job security.
“He’s 27, he would like to have a house, get married and have children, but there is no security,” she said.
Her daughter is in the vocational training centre, which she said had been hit by cutbacks.
Gaylard said she had not made up her mind which way she would vote but would assess the policies. She rejected the tag swinging voter.
“I like to think I think about the policies and whether they suit the times”.
