Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

The first point is to acknowledge the tragedy which has occurred off Indonesia and the tragic loss of life. That is why we on this side of the House have been so determined to break the people smugglers' model and to do it through genuine regional engagement, to send a message to the people smugglers that their model is broken and it will not work. That is why the government has been so intent in putting together this regional solution. That is why it was such a shame and a tragedy that the legislation that we needed to put in place because of the High Court decision has not been able to pass this parliament, because that is the only measure that can be taken to break the people smugglers' model.

Those opposite are not interested in genuine solutions to this problem. For our part, we extend to them again an invitation to come to this House with good heart and acknowledge that we need a regional solution to stop the boats from coming. They have been advised by all of our senior advisers that the approaches they are putting forward will not work. For our part, we remain committed to a genuine regional solution. The Malaysian arrangement is precisely the sort of humanitarian arrangement that is required to ensure that we break that model. Until we break that model, we will see tragic deaths at sea. I happened to be Acting Prime Minister last December when that boat hit Christmas Island. I will never forget that day. That is one of the reasons that we are so keen to break the people smugglers' model and put in place a regional arrangement that deals properly with this matter so we can save lives.

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