FED:Wilkie turns down committee spot

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2010
FED:Wilkie turns down committee spot

CANBERRA, Dec 20 AAP - Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has turned down a spot on the federal
government's standing group on Christmas Island, saying Australia wants action, not talk.

The former intelligence officer has launched a blistering attack on the government's
approach to asylum seekers in the wake of last week's boat accident which killed at least
30 people.

He wants Labor to immediately double its humanitarian intake of refugees as well as
boosting "disruption" operations in Indonesia to stop boats setting sail.

"The government has dropped the ball," Mr Wilkie told ABC Radio on Monday.

"Whatever it is doing is clearly not working.

"Even the best defence force ... is still going to struggle to pick up small wooden
boats in that big ocean, (so) you've got to stop the boats leaving Indonesia.

"It has to be ramped up, we have to hunt the smugglers down and put them out of business."

He rejected the government's proposed standing group as unnecessary, joining ranks
with the opposition, which has already refused to be involved.

"This isn't a case of setting up another committee and talking about it for another
six months," Mr Wilkie said.

"This is a case of looking at what we can do now and implementing them now.

"If we wait another six months, more people are going to die."

Mr Wilkie revealed that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had offered to double Australia's
humanitarian intake in a bid to win the independent MP's support in forming government.

Mr Wilkie said it was time for the opposition to resurrect the offer.

AAP cj/nb

KEYWORD: BOAT CAPSIZE WILKIE UPDATE (PREVIOUSLY KE:BOAT WILKIE)

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