Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I thank 'Scoop' for his question. Yes, the government has developed its thinking on this issue over time and we have changed our position. We have said, in the light of advice, that we should work with countries in our region—like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand—to improve protection outcomes. But we will do so in a way where we negotiate with them commitments for them to abide by fundamental human rights principles, and this is particularly in relation to our arrangement with Malaysia. It is one thing for a political party to change its position, as the opposition has done. It was only last year when the Leader of the Opposition said that refugee signatory countries in relation to offshore processing was a furphy. That is what the Leader of the Opposition said 12 months ago. Apparently it is okay for the Leader of the Opposition to do that.

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