Nations to get asylum call
The Rudd Government will approach South Pacific nations to become participants in its plan to send asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea for processing and resettlement.
The West Australian understands that Solomon Islands, which has previously shown an interest in hosting a regional processing centre, is likely to be approached.
Solomon Islands, which like PNG has signed the United Nations Refugee Convention, will be asked to accept asylum seekers processed on PNG's Manus Island who are found to be genuine refugees.
As with the arrangement that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd struck with PNG counterpart Peter O'Neill on Friday, Australia would pay the cost of resettlement services in regional or Pacific Island countries that agreed to take refugees.
New Zealand, Samoa, East Timor, Nauru and the Philippines are among countries in the region that have signed the UN Refugee Convention.
Mr Rudd will today explain his hardline policy to a special caucus meeting in Sydney that is expected to sign off on party reforms that would make removing the Labor leader much more difficult.
Cabinet minister Mark Butler conceded many Labor MPs and members would feel uncomfortable about the asylum policy but said the "ruthlessness" of people smugglers had to be matched by stern policy.
However, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the so-called PNG solution was a "fake".
He said the Prime Minister's assertion that everyone who came to Australia by boat would now be sent to PNG was not borne out by the two-page document signed by Mr Rudd and Mr O'Neill.
"This is not a solution to our problem," Mr Abbott said. "This is not a policy to stop the boats. This is simply a pre-election fix. This is simply something that is held together with Blu-Tack and Sellotape to last until the election.
"Mr Rudd has been misleading to the point of dishonesty."
Shadow immigration minister Scott Morrison said PNG's Prime Minister had made it clear that the country would not take an unlimited number of asylum seekers, despite Labor claims to the contrary.
Mr Morrison said those found not to be refugees would become Australia's problem, as would asylum seekers with communicable diseases, terrorism charges or a criminal background.
"The devil is always in the detail with Mr Rudd, and Mr Rudd always proves to be the devil in that detail," Mr Morrison said.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said every cohort of asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors, women and children, would be sent to PNG when Manus Island welfare standards were improved.
"The agreement is unlimited in its places," Mr Burke said. "It doesn't have a cap on the number of places. The commitment that people won't be settled in Australia is a commitment of the Australian Government.
"If the Opposition believe that they wouldn't honour that commitment, let them say so.
"If Scott Morrison or Tony Abbott believes that is a commitment they wouldn't be prepared to make, let them say that."
