Former Immigration head savages Nauru option By Samantha Hawley and staff
A former head of the Immigration Department says Tony Abbott's plan to reopen the refugee detention centre on Nauru would be foolish and futile.
During a speech in Sydney last night, John Menadue, a former Immigration Department secretary and a former head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, launched a scathing attack on the Coalition's immigration policies.
He said re-opening the detention centre on Nauru would be too expensive.
"Under the Howard government it didn't work, and will not work again in the future," he said.
"It's just futile in my view to continue ... with one-liners and slogans about Nauru.
"The Opposition has this phobia about boats. Seventy-six per cent of asylum seekers in the last decade came by air."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-07/former-immigration-head-launches-attack-on-opposition/3873008