Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have read the report of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers from cover to cover. I have had a look at what Mr Houston has said in his report and I have seen what has happened here. It was this government that appointed the expert panel, because we believed that due to the pig-headedness of other people we could not get a reasonable, fair and intelligent solution. We also said that we would support the recommendations of Mr Houston and the rest of the panel, and that is exactly what we have done. What we have seen today as a result is a hysterical carry-on from those opposite, saying, 'We've won!' That is absolute rubbish. They have not won; no-one has really 'won'. We all have to sit here and chew a little bit of broken glass and accept some modifications to what we believe in to actually get a solution that saves lives. Having read through the report, I think they have done a pretty good job and they have got it right.

Earlier today, I listened to the gloating from the Leader of the Opposition, carrying on like he had won Tattslotto, because he believed he got everything he wanted. It reminded me of a long time ago, when I was down at the shop, and this bloke walked up to me and said, 'You know, that Abbott's a show bag: he's overpriced and full of crap.' I think today—

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