Sharman Stone Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
3:43 pm
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Does the member claim to have been misrepresented?
Sharman Stone Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Most grievously.
Sharman Stone Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Earlier on in question time the Prime Minister claimed that I wholeheartedly endorsed the Labor Party’s detention policies last year. As someone who actively objected to the abolition of mandatory detention for all while their identity, security and health were checked, I can say that we opposed the abolition of mandatory detention; we opposed the abolition of the 45-day rule; and we opposed the abolition of the detention debt for all. I think the Prime Minister was trying to refer not to my opposition of all of the detention measures that have been changed and softened by this government but rather to my membership of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, whose first report was tabled a few weeks after I joined that committee. That first report basically echoed—
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The member must go to where she has been misrepresented.
Sharman Stone Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
I am explaining where the Prime Minister was indicating my support.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
The member cannot debate the question; the member must go to the point where she has been misrepresented, and she has had a long preamble.
Sharman Stone Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
That detention report—the first report of the Standing Committee on Migration—in fact echoed coalition policy. It talked about continuing our policy of making sure children were not detained and reviewed.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The member has shown where she thought she was misrepresented. She cannot debate the matter. The member for Murray still has the call but she will now conclude or now go to other matters because she has already outlined where she has been misrepresented.
Sharman Stone Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Having been misrepresented on both those two issues, a third suggestion was that I supported the abolition of the Nauruan-Manus part of the Pacific solution. Let me ask the Prime Minister to go to the transcripts, which quite clearly show that I explained how we evolved that policy to the building of the detention centre on Christmas Island.
Harry Jenkins Speaker
Order! The member has indicated where she has been misrepresented.