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

I did not bring every Australian history book with me to parliament but what I can say to the Leader of the Opposition is that yes—and I would have assumed he also noted this—I can confirm that since the election last year the government have been functioning in a circumstance of minority government. In the circumstances where we function in the House of Representatives as a minority government, I view it as likely from time to time that motions will be carried by the House of Representatives expressing a view about issues. That is appropriate for parliamentarians to do and they will do it. But anybody who knows anything about the Westminster system and the way in which government works in this country also knows that it falls to executive government to make important policy choices and decisions on behalf of the nation—and I have.

I have made an important policy decision on behalf of the nation. That policy decision is that we should do everything we can to break the people smugglers' business model. We can best do that—indeed, we can truly only do that—by working for a regional solution with countries in our region. We are doing so. We did that through the Bali framework earlier this year. Now under the auspices of that framework we are in advanced negotiations with Malaysia about a transfer agreement which would send the hardest possible message we can to people smugglers and asylum seekers to not get on a boat. I am determined to send the toughest message we can that people should not get on boats. I do not want to see people smugglers profit. I do not want to see people risk their lives at sea.

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