Join Abbott's Navy

“We are a humanitarian country. We don't turn people back into the sea, we don't turn unseaworthy boats which are likely to capsize and the people on them be drowned. We can't behave in that manner." – John Howard.[1]

Tony Abbott has announced that if he becomes Prime Minister, he’ll force the navy to turn back all asylum seeker boats - asking Australian Navy personnel to do the extraordinary thing of repairing unseaworthy boats while out at sea, before sending asylum seekers back on a dangerous journey.

Imagine what it would really mean for our defence personnel -- enlisting to serve and protect your country and instead being used as a political pawn to prevent desperate civilians from seeking Australia’s help. Imagine having to board leaky and dangerous boats to force frightened people to go back to another country that doesn’t want them, to homes that likely no longer exist, knowing that you're sending women and children who may not make it back.

This time, Tony’s gone too far -- he’s even alienating his own base as witnessed on talkback radio yesterday when commentators distanced themselves from Abbott's new approach. The Coalition are now nervously watching how this policy is playing out in the wider press, so it's crucial to get our message into papers nationwide. Can you write a letter to the editor of your newspaper now?

There's a reason this policy was tried and abandoned years ago: it costs lives. That's why experts, from the chief of the navy on down, are on the record against it. Former Navy Chief, (Ret.) Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, recently warned the Senate estimates committee how dangerous it is for navy personnel to board boats: “There have been fires lit, there have been attempts to storm the engine compartment of these boats, there have been people jumping in the water and that sort of thing.” [2]

For sailors like Able Seamen Bec Lynd, who served on board the HMAS Adelaide, it wasn't just "feeling like she was being used as a political tool and unnecessarily risking lives" that upset her,[3] it was being asked to treat fellow human beings so inhumanely. "These were humans, they're not dogs, they're not animals", she told the ABC.[4]

As Australia Day approaches we can't let this attack on our nation's core values go unanswered. Tony Abbott likes to talk tough, but he's actually putting real lives at risk by preventing asylum seekers from getting help and members of his own party are beginning to question whether this time he's gone too far.

Write your letter to the editor now, and leave no doubt that Tony Abbott's disgraceful new policy doesn't speak for you.
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Donate to the full-page ad we're publishing in tomorrow's paper.

Beyond risking Australian lives, this "cowboy" approach would be a disaster for our relationship with Indonesia, who've rightly pointed out that it's illegal to send potential refugees back rather than process them according to the Refugee Convention. That's why no other country in the world has this dangerous, illegal and inhumane policy.[5] That's why we're not going to sit back quietly while Abbott pretends it's the right thing for Australia.

Let's turn this story, and the next conversation in the Coalition party room, to one of massive backlash from experts and the community at large. Please take a few minutes to write your letter to the editor or donate to our full-page ad in tomorrow's press. http://www.getup.org.au/join-abbotts-navy

Thank you for speaking up,

The GetUp Team

[1] John Howard, interview with Neil Mitchell, Radio 3AW. 17 August 2001
[2] 'Turning the boats back 'risks lives': Admiral Ray Griggs', The Australian. October 20, 2011.
[3] 'Turn the boats back and people will die - Abbott knows this', David Marr, Sydney Morning Herald. January 24, 2012.
[4] 'Leaky Boat', ABC. 07 July 2011
[5] 'Jakarta slams Abbott boat plan', Kirsty Needham, Sydney Morning Herald. January 24, 2012.