Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

All of us who are rational are pleased that the issue of Afghan asylum seekers is being addressed by the government, and I certainly support the processing of those asylum seekers who were previously under suspension. We are considering today a motion from the opposition which I must say I find unbelievably hypocritical, given the opposition’s stance during the election. I never thought I would see the day when I would rise to speak on a motion moved by the coalition which noted Australia’s obligations under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. It surprises my colleagues and I to suddenly learn the coalition is concerned about Australia contravening UN conventions—after all, they were so concerned during their 12 years of government that they locked children behind barbed wire and held them in detention indefinitely.

I would have been more surprised had it not been for the fact that the member for Cook and the coalition had been using the complex asylum seeker issue as a political football to score points with the electorate. This motion shows faux concern for the Afghan refugees from a coalition that, during the last election season, used these poor people as their football. Now they come in here and pretend to be concerned—

See this speech in context