I think you will find the Liberal government has always adopted a hard line in relation to refugees entering the country way before Hanson stirred up the issue with views based more on racism than boarder protection.
They may very well have played up their actions a bit around the time of the Tampa, partly to counter Hanson but also in a response to an increasing number of boats reaching our shore but it was still following policies that had been in place for a number of years.
Policies that include accept 12,000 refugees a year and mandatory detention for anyone illegally entering the country. As for back ground checks that is why they are held in detention so the proper checks can be carried out. Just as anyone wanting to enter the country through legal means are throughly checked.
