Media Release
Friday February 23, 2007 10:20am WST
For Immediate Release
No Embargoes

"If the Prime Minister John Howard decides 'on behalf of his Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews' to send the 85 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to Nauru, he is likely to pay a high price at the 2007 Federal election as a 'thank-you' by the 'doctors' wives' in his electorate", WA Rights group Project SafeCom said in response to Mr Howard's comments this morning, where he intends to keep the option of incarceration on the island of Nauru open for the asylum seekers.

"Since the Morgan Poll conducted for Crikey last week, we know that John Howard's seat of Bennelong is at risk," spokesman Jack H Smit said.

See http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2007/4141

"The doctors' wives - a nickname given to the band of disgruntled liberal voters - are disgruntled liberal voters who also count the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees as a aspect of their motivation to turn away from voting for the coalition," Mr Smit said.

"Project SafeCom counts several people amongst its 10,000 supporters and amongst its registered members, and all we need to do is keep them informed about new developments, and if these developments are no good, they will know what to do, and many of them live in the Prime Minister's electorate."

For more information:

Jack H Smit
Project SafeCom Inc.
[phone number posted]