Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move the amendment standing in Senator Nick McKim's name:

At the end of the motion, add:

"and, in respect of:

(a) the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2025 Measures No. 1) Bill 2025, the bill be referred immediately to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 3 November 2025"; and

(b) the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ban Gambling Ads) Bill 2024, the bill be referred immediately to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 24 November 2025".

Here we are again, with Labor and the Liberals teaming up one more time to shut down debate, to shut down scrutiny on a cooked bill that punches down on migrants and on refugees. What a surprise!

I do want to associate myself with the comments that Senator Shoebridge has made all along on this horrific, monstrous bill. You just don't get tired in this race with each other on who is going to punish, who is going to crack down on and who is going to strip natural justice from migrants and refugees. No-one wins in this race except racism, unfairness and injustice.

Labor senators stand here and speak about what a great multicultural nation this is. They criticise the anti-immigration rallies. They still don't condemn them, but they do criticise them. They talk about welcoming different races. They talk about humanity and respect. This is what Senator Wong spoke about yesterday. But, in the same breath, you did the exact opposite. You ran through laws that will deport these very same people that you say are welcome here without giving any opportunity for natural justice. You silenced the sector by locking them out of the three-hour inquiry. You didn't accept public submissions, but the Greens have tabled those submissions. You did a secret deal—a $400 million bribe to Nauru—to deport people. It's $2.5 billion now. You are such hypocrites. You are hypocrites of the highest order, talking about multiculturalism on the one hand and then ramming through a racist bill on the other. You praise migrants for what they bring to this country, you eat our food and you enjoy our festivals, but then you stitch up dirty deals with the coalition to demonise us. That is what this bill does—it demonises migrants and refugees. You criticise the likes of One Nation for scapegoating migrants, blaming them for the housing crisis, when you have done exactly the same. You blamed international students for the housing crisis. That's how far right you have gone. I don't know who you have become. Who is the Labor Party now? You talk about a fair go, but then you legislate anti-fairness.

I'll tell you what the Labor Party has become. You have become a party with the most monstrous policies on migrants and people who seek asylum. Your cooked policies would make Donald Trump proud. Do you know what? You have actually won, so congratulations to you. You have actually won this race to the bottom with the coalition on who can be more anti migrant and more anti refugee. You have won it—congratulations! You have sacrificed basic humanity, human dignity, human decency and fairness to push through your racist bill. Shame on you. What a disgrace.

You want to hide your nastiness by completely stopping scrutiny on this legislation. This is the harsh truth which you need to listen to. You have never seen us—people of colour and migrants of colour—as equals. Our belonging to this country, our Australianness, has always been conditional. This bill is just another example of how conditional our belonging is. Shame on you. You are all a disgrace.