Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The short answer is that, ultimately, they did, knowing that voting against it would have been catastrophic. But, when that agreement was first signed, the then leader of the Labor Party said that Labor would not support it. Eventually they realised, as the then Leader of the Opposition got himself into a maelstrom of difficulty and controversy, that they had better go along with it, and they put up some kind of phoney amendment. But, no, I do not think the Labor Party ever really did support it; I do not think they did.

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