Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers from Minister Cash on the coalition government's inhumane policies relating to people seeking asylum. Firstly, I want to refute the continual use of the terms 'illegal arrivals', 'illegal immigrants' and the other words that the coalition government use. In using these terms, they show their true colours in this debate. They highlight that they are interested only in perpetuating the fear of the unknown that unfortunately abounds in sections of our community. What we are talking about in this debate is people seeking asylum. They are actually people, real people, who are fleeing their homelands in search of a better life—people who may have children, partners, mothers or fathers here in Australia, people who may have left their family at home in search of a better life. The key thing is that people currently coming to Australia by boat are seeking asylum. They are not doing anything illegal. The government know that.

Worse than all of the propaganda about so-called illegals is the government's secrecy about so-called on-water operations. In the past week, thegovernment's secretive approach to its immigration policy has gone beyond the pale. The silence from the government, led in its secrecy and arrogance by Minister Morrison, is completely unacceptable. The government has thrown out Australia's international humanitarian obligations and refused to provide basic information to the Australian people. Quite simply, the Australian people have a right to know if the government they elected is acting in accordance with our international obligations. Yesterday the government confirmed that 41 asylum seekers were returned to Sri Lanka. These people were reportedly processed at sea, via videoconference, and were asked only four questions. Minister Cash would not confirm that during a question today.

This supposedly enhanced screening process was never practised arbitrarily by Labor on vessels at sea, as Minister Morrison untruthfully said in his statement yesterday. The process used under the previous Labor government was transparent and thorough. Labor used a far more thorough process than the reported four questions which, it seems, were being used by Minister Morrison and the coalition government to assess whether people engage our protection obligations. It is absolutely not the same thing. To be clear: our process was transparent and thorough.

The coalition government's process is shrouded in secrecy. They must be up-front with the Australian public. What little information is available—that the screening was four questions, conducted arbitrarily on board a vessel via videoconference—is in no way comparable to the former Labor government's thorough and transparent screening processes. Labor has strong concerns about the integrity of this new method of processing people at sea and en masse. Labor has strong concerns about whether the coalition government's latest exploits comply with Australia's international obligations under relevant conventions.

Criticism of the coalition government's approach has come not just from within this parliament. Yesterday we saw a statement from 53 of Australia's leading international legal experts citing their profound concern about reports that asylum seekers had been subjected to rapid and inadequate screening and then a prompt return to Sri Lanka. I acknowledge the two faculty members from the University of Tasmania's law school who were signatories to this letter and thank them for their action. The letter raised concerns that Australia has breached at least three international laws. The signatories urgently call on the Australian government to make public its legal justification for this operation.

Minister Morrison must explain why the government neglected to act in accordance with the regional resettlement arrangement, which would have provided for people to be processed on Christmas Island with greater efficiency and transparency. Minister Morrison must also explain what process is underway to determine the refugee status of another reported 153 persons aboard a second vessel that was detected near Christmas Island. Minister Morrison cannot continue leaving his country in the lurch. He must provide a transparent account of what has occurred on our seas over the last week and a half. It is clear that the coalition government just want to take any opportunity for political mileage. They mix in a large element of secrecy with militaristic propaganda and potentially unsafe practices such as turning back the boats.

Labor is committed to breaking the people-smuggling trade. We are committed to an orderly migration program. We are also committed to increasing the refugee intake so that more people can resettle here in Australia, bringing with them their skills and experience and adding to our rich multicultural society. (Time expired)