Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, their thinking has developed, as the minister told us in this parliament. The one thing that it has never developed into is a firm and consistent policy to stop the boats. The one thing that it has never developed into is a policy that the people of this country have the right to expect: a policy that stops the boats.

We then have the statement from July last year from the current Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, who said that boat people had to be sent to countries that are signatories to the refugee convention 'for the sake of decency'.

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