Thomson accuses Labor of pandering to rednecks

Labor MP-turned-independent Craig Thomson has launched a scathing attack on his former colleagues over the issue of border protection, labelling them hypocrites and accusing them of pandering to the redneck vote.

Mr Thomson’s outburst has been prompted by the Government’s move to excise the mainland from Australia’s migration zone, something Labor campaigned strongly against when the former Howard government tried to do it in 2006.

The move would strip away any legal advantage asylum seekers get by reaching the mainland, compared with those taken directly to an offshore processing centre.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen introduced the legislation yesterday, but Mr Thomson has declared he will vote against it — via redwolf.newsvine.com