Abbott and Wilkie at odds on refugee intake offer: MARK COLVIN: The Federal Independent MP Andrew Wilkie is standing by his claim that Tony Abbott offered to double Australia's humanitarian refugee intake in exchange for helping the Coalition form government after this year's election.
Mr Abbott has denied that he canvassed that. He says instead that he discussed a modest increase through established United Nations channels.
From Canberra, Alexandra Kirk reports.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: The toll from last week's wreck continues to climb. There's no hope of finding any more survivors and little chance of recovering more bodies.
Police now believe there were more asylum seekers aboard the ill-fated fishing boat than originally thought. Those who perished now outnumber the survivors.
JULIA GILLARD: The advice to me is that the best estimate at present is that there were around 90 people on the boat. We are still not able to account for around 18 people. But I do say that we may never know the total number with certainty.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: But the tragedy hasn't prompted the Government to rethink any of its policies. That's despite a call from Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, a former intelligence analyst, to step up disruption operations against people smugglers in Indonesia. And he wants to double Australia's humanitarian refugee intake in a bid to encourage fewer people to get on boats.
Julia Gillard argues that while ever there are people smugglers, asylum seekers will risk their lives to come to Australia.
JULIA GILLARD: We're a compassionate and generous people and we step up and do more than our fair share in terms of taking refugees from refugee camps around the world. It seems to me you couldn't say, well, if we move into one country and take more caseload then you won't see more people arriving and replacing the caseload that you've taken.
What we need to do is we need to smash the people smuggling business model itself.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Andrew Wilkie says Tony Abbott offered to double Australia's humanitarian refugee intake if the Independent MP helped the Coalition form government after this year's election.
ANDREW WILKIE: Earlier in the negotiations with Tony Abbott, he said in no uncertain terms that he would be prepared to double the humanitarian intake into Australia in return for my support.
Now that offer did not make it into the final written proposal, because during a period of negotiations over many days and many meetings, the negotiations shifted to reform of poker machine legislation and better funding, particularly for public healthcare in southern Tasmania.
For that reason, that issues was not pursued by me and it does not appear in the final letter. But it would be very mischievous for the Opposition Leader's office to suggest that because it's not in the final letter that it was never mentioned. It was mentioned.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Tony Abbott's office initially said he was sticking to his policy of not canvassing what had been offered to Mr Wilkie and others in the post election negotiations.
Later the spokesman said the possibility of a "modest increase" in the humanitarian intake was discussed, but there was no suggestion of doubling it.
Mr Abbott's now responded himself.
TONY ABBOTT: What I proposed was very much in line with the commitment that the Coalition took to the election, which was for a modest increase in our refugee intake for people who came in through proper channels, not by boat.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Andrew Wilkie's sticking to his version.
ANDREW WILKIE: I do not withdraw one bit from my claim.
TONY ABBOTT: Well, look, ah, you know, he obviously had a different interpretation of what was, as I said, a pretty wide-ranging discussion.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: The end result is neither major party is shifting. One refugee advocate has questioned the wisdom of Mr Wilkie's decision to reveal details of private discussions. He believes Mr Wilkie's pushed Mr Abbott into a corner, squandering an opportunity to advance the debate on immigration policy.
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