Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I also rise to speak on the quarterly report of the Independent Health Advice Panel. What the summary of this report makes abundantly clear is that medevac is working. It shouldn't be novel to anybody in this place—or indeed in our community—that if you are sick you should be able to see a doctor. This is exactly what medevac provides for. It allows vulnerable people in Nauru and on Manus Island to get the treatment they need, and all in a manner that is controlled by a minister or by government-appointed doctors. The quarterly report reveals that, in the period of 1 April to 30 June, 15 individual cases were referred to the panel. In nine cases the panel upheld the minister's decision to refuse a transfer and the decision was overturned in only half a dozen instances. This means that the independent panel has agreed with the minister on more occasions than not.

It is clear that the Morrison government and the Minister for Home Affairs will do everything in their power to discredit medevac as they attempt to repeal it. They claim that it is flawed, that it is slow or that it is legally fraught. They claim that the legislation undermines Australia's border security. They even claim that it allows criminals to come into Australia, yet they have no evidence to support this outrageous claim. The Minister for Home Affairs, Minister Dutton, has vigorously argued that 'two doctors from Nimbin' can force the government to bring people from Manus Island or Nauru to Australia. These claims are simply not true. The minister has claimed that 1,000 people would flood into Australia through medevac. That hasn't happened. The minister has also claimed that some doctors are working to bring refugees from Nauru and Papua New Guinea without the refugee even giving their consent. Again, there isn't a shred of evidence to support this.

The reality is that, out of the 75 submissions made to the Senate inquiry into the government's attempt to repeal medevac, only one submission supported the repeal of these laws: the Department of Home Affairs submission. What is clear is that the Minister for Home Affairs is attempting to cover up his failures—namely, the people smugglers are now using our visa system and airline arrivals to smuggle people into Australia. We know that over 81,000 people have arrived in Australia by aeroplane and claimed asylum on Minister Dutton's watch. We know that criminal syndicates are forcing people to apply for asylum in Australia knowing that, because of Minister Dutton's incompetence and mismanagement, it will take years for their claim to be processed. These exploited people are placed on bridging visas while their claim for asylum is assessed, and labour hire companies make them work in exploitative conditions. It is leading to an exploited workforce where people are paid as little as $4 to $5 an hour and being held in conditions that, one might suggest, resemble slavery. Whilst the minister and this government make outrageous claims about medevac, know that this report proves him wrong and his department wrong. And, more importantly, in making these claims, all he's trying to do is distract from his incompetence and failures in administering his department.