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

In answer to the member's question, as the member probably knows from the discussions over summer, we entered into good-faith negotiations with the opposition in order to see us work together on legislation which would put this government and future governments in the same position as the former Howard government—that is, able to make appropriate arrangements for offshore processing. We actually said to the opposition, in that spirit of goodwill, that we would endorse their stated policy at that time, which was having a detention centre on Nauru, if they allowed us to then have the Malaysia arrangement implemented and we would work together on the appropriate legislative amendment. After days and days of discussions and comings and goings that the shadow minister was involved in and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was involved in, it became transparently clear—

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting—

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