Perhaps members of the Liberal party should talk to each other before they open their mouths about refugee, immigration or population policy.

Here’s opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison saying the other day that the number of family reunions will be reduced if he has anything to do with it:

Tony Abbott’s Coalition will cut net migration levels if it wins government, in a bid to stop Australia’s population reaching its predicted size of almost 36 million in 2050.

[...]

[Scott] Morrison said the Coalition would support skilled migrants coming, but was likely to cut other elements of the program, including family reunion.

And here’s opposition citizenship spokesman Gary Humphries attacking the government for reducing the number of family reunions:

Concern is rising about the effect of the escalating number of unauthorised boat arrivals on family reunion programmes for refugees already in Australia.

[...]

“The greater the number of boat arrivals visas, the smaller the number ofvisas available to the family members of refugees and other humanitarian arrivals,” Opposition citizenship spokesman Gary Humphries said today.

Just like the population smokescreen, it suits the Libs to talk about boat arrivals in terms of lovely-sounding families and togetherness rather than in terms of the plight of the people on those boats and whether we do or don’t want to help them. Now all they need to do is say the same things when opening their mouths.