If Bill Shorten is going to stop the boats why is Richard Marles preparing for new illegal maritime arrivals.

Today’s Hobart Mercury reported that Labor’s Immigration and Border Protection spokesman has committed to reopening Pontville Immigration Detention Facility in Tasmania.

Mr Marles needs to say why. Why would Labor be committed to re-opening a detention facility unless it knew that if it returned to government the boats will start again?

This puts the lie to Mr Shorten’s attempts to say Labor has learned the lessons of the past and will now fight the people smugglers and turn-back illegal maritime arrivals.

Remember Kevin Rudd also said he would turn-back people smugglers’ boats – instead he unwound the successful policies of the Howard Government by abolishing Temporary Protection Visa’s and allowing 800 boats carrying 50,000 people to flood into Australia.

The Coalition has closed the Pontville detention facility, why does Richard Marles plan to re-open it if Labor again forms government.

In fact the Coalition has closed 13 of the 17 detention centres opened by Labor as they filled with thousands of illegal maritime arrivals under the Rudd and Gillard Governments.

It will all happen again under Bill Shorten and Richard Marles. He’s already planning for it.

Labor cannot be trusted on border protection, just look at their record. ​