Prime Minister Julia Gillard has attempted to appeal to both left and right in the refugee debate by playing a dog whistle and a bongo drum at the same time. Speaking at the Lowy Institute, she outlined a plan to process refugees in East Timor without demonising them in the process.

Yet another floating threat to Australia's way of life

Members of the ALP have been quick to deny the policy is just a copy of the Howard Government's Pacific Solution. "This is totally different to the Pacific Solution,” said Treasurer Wayne Swan. “For one thing it is in the Timor Sea, and for another thing... actually, no, that's it."

Gillard herself claimed it was different because it was a 'regional protection framework'. Asked what region this referred to, the Prime Minister admitted it was the marginal seat of Macarthur.

As rhetoric on both sides sharpens before the election, Tony Abbott has promised to turn back the boats, a shift from his current approach of turning back the votes.

He has outlined even tougher measures, including sending back "everyone who arrived on a boat as a ten-pound Pom in the 1960s".

Gillard has already responded scathingly, saying turning boats around would simply lead to them being scuttled. "Australians won't stand for children being abandoned at sea by their irresponsible parents," she said. "Unless they're teenaged girls trying to sail around the world."

Meanwhile, lawyer Julian Burnside's attempt to inject perspective into the debate has backfired, with his point that the current rate of arrivals would take 20 years to fill the MCG sparking a fresh wave of hysteria. "I don't think boat people should be coming here and taking Australians' seats at the footy," one voter said.

However, the Melbourne Demons have issued an open invitation for boat people to fill empty seats at their home games.

The Prime Minister also rejected Burnside's description of those who feared boat people as rednecks. "I reject that unhelpful label," Gillard said. "The correct term is 'valued voters in key marginals'."

But not all of these valued voters are sure about the new policy. "A redheaded woman turning boats back gives me an uneasy sense of deja vu," said one voter. "I just can't figure out why."