Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to reject this motion, and I reject it on three grounds. I reject it on the process, on the economics and on the basis of humanity. On process, many of my colleagues have outlined already that to have less than 24 hours to consider something that is really important is an unacceptable use of the parliament. We could certainly have been given a lot more notice to engage in something that's really important to people's lives and to our communities. On economic grounds, others have mentioned that there are $350 million worth of contracts to support Nauru. We are operating in a very constrained budget environment, as we all here know, and when I look at what $350 million could do in so many different communities around this country, it still beggars belief that this is the money and this is the reason that we're spending it. Most certainly, I reject this on the basis of the humanity. Others across the crossbench have raised that Behrouz Boochani already spoke to us this morning, and it was an incredibly moving morning. One thing that he said which really stuck with me was that refugees are carrying invisible violence—not even capturing that, as one of my colleagues said, 14 people have died in offshore detention. Refugees are carrying this violence around with them, and we have created this out of this country.

I know that this is a complicated issue. As I said, I don't envy the minister's responsibilities in this area, but the Australian people are asking for more humanity. They don't want black-and-white, simple solutions—an easy tick-box answer. The Australian people have said that there is more nuance there. They are welcoming an open and careful debate about what compassionate but also responsible policy in this area could be. I think that is what my community says. So I think this action is really what the Australian people were rejecting at the last election. One-third of the country didn't vote for the major parties for exactly the reasons that we are seeing today. It's because this is simplifying the issue and turning peoples' lives and humanity into a sort of tick-box exercise: 'I'm posturing about what I care about.' So I reject this on behalf of people of Wentworth who are desperately passionate about being humane to refugees. I reject it on the basis of Kerryn Phelps who stood in Wentworth before me and was one of the people who championed the medevac legislation that was the humane response to allow critically ill asylum seekers and refugees off Nauru.

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