Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I think it is in order for me to ask, through you, for the Attorney to retract that comment. It does the history of his party and this parliament a great disservice to have that on the record, and it does Amnesty International a great disservice for the Attorney to stand up here and debate this with his badge on. Some of these commitments to human rights have had cross-party support for a long period of time. Australians have been able to be proud of the commitment that we have to human rights, and I am concerned that he is so prepared to walk away from it. I am hoping that it was just a mistake. I am hoping that he was jet-lagged. I am hoping that he did not intend to make that comment.

See this speech in context