Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Carr. Minister, given your recent statements that, 'We need a tougher, more hard-edged assessment,' of people's claims for asylum, and further, 'They're people not fleeing persecution,' does this signify a new Rudd government policy to change and narrow the legal definition of 'refugee' designed to slash refugee numbers and push people back with the stroke of a pen? Is this the policy, Minister, you and the new Prime Minister will take to Indonesia and other countries in the region in coming weeks?