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

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah moving immediately—That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah moving immediately—That order of the day No. 4, Migration Legislation Amendment (Offshore Processing and Other Measures) Bill 2011, be called on immediately and the question on the second reading be put forthwith.

Why is the Prime Minister who has just scurried out of this parliament, scared of putting her Malaysian people swap to the vote? A Prime Minister who cannot stay in the parliament to listen to a debate like this is a Prime Minister who does not deserve to stay in office. She does not deserve to stay in office. This Prime Minister is scared of this parliament. She is scared of putting her legislation to this parliament because she is scared that this parliament will no longer support her.

I have a news flash for the parliament: the caucus is meeting at 4:15 this afternoon. I wonder what they are going to be discussing. Could it be the people swap legislation? Could the people swap legislation be about to bite the dust? There will be some interesting discussion in the caucus this afternoon at 4:15. Senator Faulkner will want onshore processing, Senator Bishop will want Nauru, the Minister for Foreign Affairs will say, 'Let's not lurch to the Right,' the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship will say, 'I resign,' and the Prime Minister herself will say anything—anything at all—that will help her to save her increasingly desperate job.

I say to this parliament that on no fewer than six occasions this Prime Minister has said that the people swap legislation will come before the parliament. It was so important that the people swap legislation come before the parliament because she wanted every single coalition member's name to be recorded. Now she is frightened that the names of Labor members of this parliament will not be recorded because she knows that some of them are not going to support the government's legislation. She knows that if this government tries to put its legislation to the parliament it will be in crisis. She knows that if the government tries to put its legislation to the parliament what will in fact happen is that this parliament will effectively vote no confidence in this government. Bring it on.

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