Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

In designing this arrangement with Malaysia, relying on the best possible advice, we have accepted the advice that it is the strongest possible deterrence message. In being the strongest possible deterrence message our aim is that we send such a strong signal to people smugglers, effectively smashing their business model, that we do not see all of the 800 spots used because transfers send that very strong message—that if you spend your money, risk your life, you do not end up where you wanted to go. Consequently, that is the advice that has informed Malaysia, that is the policy that has informed the arrangement with Malaysia. But I say again to those opposite, I understand that they will continue to criticise the arrangement with Malaysia and in this House of parliament obviously people will come and put all different sorts of views on public policy questions. That is understood. We will in this parliament, though, be debating a different question. That different question is whether or not executive government should have the power to process asylum seekers offshore or whether all of that should be put at risk.

We believe that we should amend the Migration Act so that we can do that processing offshore. I also believe that with the new amendments I have supplied to the Leader of the Opposition today the eyes of the Australian community are upon us; that Australians in dealing with these new amendments want to see us go beyond politics as usual. Australians want us to resolve this issue and put it behind us. Australians want us to find the common ground necessary to get this done.

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