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

Thank you very much. To the Leader of the Opposition's point of order and the deputy leader's question: what the government does is create policies guided by the facts and guided by the experts. We have been guided by people like the former Chief of the Defence Force Angus Houston. What we have hit in this parliament is the relentless negativity of the opposition that, in choosing between the national interest of Australia and a bit of cheap political advantage, went for the cheap political advantage and voted for more boats. Now what they are doing is peddling falsehoods out in the Australian community. Since this parliament last sat, the Vice President of Indonesia has made it absolutely clear that the false claims by the opposition to have some agreement with Indonesia that they can return boats to Indonesia are simply untrue. Then, even more recently, the former chief admiral, someone who would know something—

Opposition members interjecting —

I know this is uncomfortable for the opposition: a former Defence Force leader, Admiral Chris Barrie, has spoken on turning boats back and has spoken about the dangers for Defence Force personnel. So to the deputy leader's question: what she is asking me to do and asking the government to do is to pretend that you can make Indonesia do things when the statements of a sovereign nation are clear on the record. What she is asking me to do is to reject the advice of senior personnel and former personnel like Chris Barrie about the dangers to Defence Force officers in endeavouring to turn boats back. Well, that world of falsehood lies over there in the opposition. For us, what we would want to be able to do is come to this parliament and get consent from this parliament to fully implement the expert panel's recommendations. But of course the Leader of the Opposition, in the deep embrace of negativity, will continue to vote for more boats time after time after time.

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