Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

On the question of immigration policy, the challenge which the Leader of the Opposition faced at a quarter to two this afternoon when he went out to conduct his own press conference on this matter was in fact to distance himself from the member for O’Connor. He chose not to do so. Therefore, we can only assume that the Leader of the Opposition embraces the remarks made by the member for O’Connor. He finds no problem with them. By virtue of his silence, he chooses to embrace them. When the shadow minister for immigration was asked about these comments earlier today, I am advised that she had no comment to make about the comments made by the member for O’Connor—a conspicuous display of courage on the part of the member for Murray in this debate.

So we are left in this chamber asking this question: will, for the first time on this matter of asylum seekers policy, the Leader of the Opposition choose to lead his party or simply choose to follow the lead—

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