Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like the Prime Minister, I have a daughter, but that is completely irrelevant to understanding that violence against women is never acceptable, that rape is never acceptable. I'm honestly gobsmacked at the Prime Minister's comments this morning and at the government's appalling, callous handling of this crime. Brittany Higgins deserves respect, support and dignity, not only because she is someone's daughter but because she is somebody. Daughters and wives do not exist to teach men to respect women and have empathy. If the Prime Minister did not instantly understand how appalling this crime is, no wonder the government hires empathy consultants. When the Australia Post CEO was caught handing out Cartier watches, there was instant rage and visible anger in here from the Prime Minister. But with a crime this serious there was no instant outrage and no immediate response. How lucky we are, I suppose, that the Prime Minister has daughters not sons!

What else could the Prime Minister learn from empathising with his daughters? I wonder how he would feel if the Federal Court had found that his daughter had been denied procedural fairness yet was still imprisoned by his government on Christmas Island? This is the situation that Tharunicaa, aged three, faces with her sister and her parents. His government has wasted more than $6 million trying to deport this one family. This cruel farce must end. Send them back to Biloela and let them stay.

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