Fed: Crean says Lawrence will toe party line at refugee rally

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Fed: Crean says Lawrence will toe party line at refugee rally

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP - Opposition Leader Simon Crean said he expected frontbencherCarmen Lawrence to toe the party line when she addressed a rally today protesting againstthe treatment of asylum seekers.

Labor MPs and senators backed changes to the party's asylum seekers policy at a caucusmeeting yesterday, but decided to retain support for mandatory detention.

However they will push for the Woomera detention centre to be mothballed, communityrelease of women and children and the extension of planned resettlement allowances forAfghan refugees.

Dr Lawrence has been one of the strongest internal critics of Labor's asylum seekerspolicy, but Mr Crean said he was confident she would back the official stance in her addressto the lunchtime rally outside Parliament House.

"Carmen is very happy with the framework and the decision taken by the caucus yesterday,"

he told reporters.

"Carmen will be speaking in accordance with the position the party has taken yesterday.

She was part of it, she agrees with it, why shouldn't she speak about it?"

ACTU president Sharan Burrow, who will also address the rally, said the union movementwas opposed to mandatory detention but was pleased to see Labor was prepared to push alternativessuch as community release.

"I'll be simply saying that Australia needs to return to a decent and compassionatepolicy base," she said.

"The question is for Australians, are we a tolerant and compassionate nation or arewe, in fact, prepared to treat people who have committed no crime, (been) found guiltyof no crime, to mandatory detention?"

AAP kmh/daw/las/bwl

KEYWORD: BOAT RALLY