David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

It is worth having a look at the existing policy and indeed the policy as it stood at the last election for the opposition. We have heard all about turning the boats back. There are three elements to their policy. There is turning back the boats. There is the no compromise on offshore processing. That is what they went to the electorate with. They went to the Australian people at the last election saying, 'There will be no compromise on offshore processing.' But here we have an opportunity generated by the decision of the High Court for members of this House to make a very clear and unequivocal decision that offshore processing should be within the realm of executive government and to restore the position that we previously understood it to be the case.

I make the point that throughout the course of this debate and the debates that will follow over the coming days there will be people right around the world who will be watching them. In particular, there will people smugglers throughout our region who will be watching this debate, and they will be looking very closely to see the extent to which this parliament is prepared to show the resolve that is necessary to equip executive government today and into the future with all of the powers that it needs to combat irregular and unlawful people movements throughout our region. They are looking closely; they are looking for a crack. They are looking for Australia to blink. The opposition have the opportunity to stand side by side with this government, to demonstrate this parliament's resolve when it comes to tackling people-smuggling. Or they have the option of voting with the Greens to kill off offshore processing.

I would caution them about the dangers of going down that path because whilst I agree with the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship when he says that he knows the reason why the opposition are opposed to supporting the amendment before the House—that is, because they are afraid that the Malaysian arrangement will work—I suggest that there a couple of things they should be even more concerned about. One is that the Nauru solution will not work. If we do not get our legislation through to ensure that executive government has the power to take the decisions it needs to take, then those opposite had better hope that Nauru works, because if they ever get a chance and it does not work, then they would not want to come back into this place asking a future parliament for all of the powers that we are now asking for. Turning the boats back has never worked; we know that.

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