Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I am asked about different ways of negotiating protections with countries in our region, and there are two different ways: you can negotiate arrangements and get agreements with countries or you cannot. Turning the boats around on the high seas and pointing them towards Indonesia with no protections negotiated is a different approach to the government's approach of negotiating in good faith with Malaysia.

Last night we saw a new development in this matter, with the Leader of the Opposition realising on the 7.30Report that it was a problem not to have protections negotiated with Indonesia. He said:

… there is no evidence that the Indonesian Government did refoule people in the past. We have no reason to think they wouldn't be prepared to enter into the same kind of understandings again.

'Understandings'? I will have to check with the Attorney-General; I am not sure if an understanding is legally binding. I would be surprised if an understanding with Indonesia was legally binding. Apparently it is okay to send boats to Indonesia with an understanding but it is not okay to send planes to Malaysia when you have a formal agreement with a sovereign country! The weathervane swings again. The Leader of the Opposition is going to negotiate understandings with Indonesia—

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