Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I speak, the Senate is debating a piece of legislation that is deeply troubling. In this place a number of members on this side did not have an opportunity to speak on this bill because they were gagged. There are many people in this House who have spent a lifetime defending the rights and protections of others. We have a responsibility in this place to look after the most vulnerable people in our society, yet every single member of the Australian Labor Party yesterday in this House voted to remove human rights protections by abolishing section 198A of the Migration Act.

The Prime Minister said that we should search our conscience and yet in this place she did not allow her members, her caucus, to search their conscience and vote according to it. Apparently it is all right on the other side of the House to be able to talk about gay marriage and vote according to conscience, but not when it comes to matters of life and death. I think it is, quite frankly, a disgrace. I find it perplexing and I think the Prime Minister ought to explain her decision. She ought to come clean on the fact that the UNHCR, Red Crescent and Red Cross have not endorsed her Malaysia solution.