Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister . I remind the Prime Minister that on at least six occasions she has declared that the Malaysian people swap legislation will be put to this parliament. On at least three occasions she has declared that it is urgent that we have a vote. So I ask the Prime Minister: why is the government now filibustering to prevent the people swap legislation being put to a vote?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not sure how organisational arrangements happen in the opposition, but I presume that the whip's office keeps speakers lists and, if the Leader of the Opposition chose to view those lists, he would be able to do so. As it happens, I have one and I am able to draw the attention of the Leader of the Opposition to a large number of his members who have not spoken yet and have listed themselves as speaking in the debate. For example, they include the former minister for immigration, who has not spoken yet in this debate, and the man the Leader of the Opposition has identified as a future shadow minister for foreign affairs. He has not spoken yet in this debate. And so the list goes on. So I say to the opposition: if it is of the view now, as opposed to this speaking list, which is the speaking list that has been circulated—if it has completely changed its mind again on the migration legislation—then it might want to find a way of communicating that properly.

What we have had over the last period is the opposition saying it would work with the government to expedite the bill, the opposition saying that it would deal with the bill on its own terms—not purpose-specific to the preferred plan of either side of politics but on its own terms. Then, of course, they backflipped and said, 'No, no; we want to draw out this debate and have a lot of speakers.' Now the Leader of the Opposition appears to be saying that they are backflipping again. Then, of course, they backflipped on whether the assessment of the bill should be one on the merits of the proposition and dealing with the High Court case or whether it should be used just as a political device in their campaign.

All of this procedural carry-on by the opposition, at the end of the day, is a matter that will play out within this House, but what is much more important is the biggest thing the Leader of the Opposition has backflipped on: his slogan and promise to the Australian people at the last election that he would stop the boats. He has backflipped on his 'boat phone', acknowledging now that it was a stupid sham that would never have been put into practice, and now he is preparing to backflip again so he will be the man who ensures there is not in this country the ability to process asylum seekers offshore. So, to every Australian who ever heard the Leader of the Opposition say, 'Stop the boats', to every Australian who ever saw a piece of Liberal Party propaganda at the last election that said, 'Stop the boats', they should know that the Leader of the Opposition is about to trash that pledge to the Australian people and end the ability of this nation to process asylum seekers offshore. The Leader of the Opposition is doing that because he believes it is in his narrow political interest to see more boats.