Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I was asked by the Leader of the Opposition about discussions with Senator Brown. What I was endeavouring to make clear is that the government's policies and plans are of course known to Senator Brown, as is already very clear to the Leader of the Opposition and, I would suspect, everybody else in this nation.

Senator Brown is opposed to the government's policies and plans because Senator Brown is opposed to the offshore processing of asylum seekers. I therefore anticipate, in accordance with Senator Brown's publicly stated view that he is opposed to offshore processing of asylum seekers, that he would vote against amendments to the Migration Act that facilitated offshore processing of asylum seekers.

So the question that will come before the parliament is a question about amending the Migration Act to enable government to have the power to have offshore processing. The question, really, that I would suggest the Leader of the Opposition direct his attention to is: when that legislation comes to the parliament, will he and Bob Brown be voting together?

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