Nauru changes nothing

In a cruel twist of irony, the people smugglers mashed the Gillard government’s business model – and the budget surplus – in less than four weeks. I sure hope there is a Plan B, because by the end of this month, the Pacific Solution redux – Malaysia included – will be irrelevant. All at cost of more than $1 billion.

We’re all familiar with the quotes from Labor regarding Nauru and the Pacific Solution:

“We closed Nauru because it was the right thing to do”

“The Pacific solution was cynical, costly and ultimately unsuccessful”

“The Pacific solution is just wrong. It is a waste of taxpayer’s money”                 

“Most of those who were processed on Nauru ended up in Australia anyway”                                           

After four years of trashing Nauru as an expensive and inhumane failure, people smuggling networks have well and truly absorbed Labor’s message: Nauru is no deterrent. Rudd, Gillard, Evans and Bowen could not have made it clearer. And so, less than four…