A month ago, the Coalition was gearing up for an election fought on border policy, warning of an influx of asylum seekers.
Several government ministers suggested “paedophiles and murderers” would make their way from Manus Island and Nauru to Australia after Labor and the crossbench combined to pass a bill giving doctors more power on medical transfers.
But that strategy has been largely ditched in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings.
