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

To the Deputy Leader of the Opposition I say this: the resolve of the government is to amend the Migration Act and to implement the arrangement with Malaysia. The guiding principles for the government are: we want to support what will work, we want to uphold the refugee convention, which is why we have negotiated with Malaysia to uphold the most important sections of the refugee convention and those are the obligations not to return people to places of persecution and to ensure their claims are processed. We have gone beyond those obligations with identity papers, the ability to work and services in health and education. The criteria for the government have been: what will work? What will uphold the refugee convention? The arrangement with Malaysia will uphold the refugee convention. That is what is driving us.

What is driving the opposition I cannot explain. Some days they come in here and criticise the government and say we are too soft on asylum seekers. Some days they come in here and criticise the government and say we are too hard on asylum seekers. Some days they say the refugee convention does not matter at all. The Leader of the Opposition is on the public record as saying that. The shadow minister for immigration is on the public record as saying that. Some days they say it is pivotal. When they are in government they process people in places that are not signatories to the refugee convention. When they are in opposition apparently it is the foundation stone for all of their beliefs.

Ms Julie Bishop : Mr S peaker, on a point of order : the question was about the numerous policy contortions of the Prime Minister; it was not about the coalition's decade-long policy.

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