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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the government now supports offshore processing and given that the opposition acknowledges the importance of the refugee convention, will the Prime Minister give bipartisan support to an amendment which strengthens offshore processing but prevents people being sent to countries that have not signed the UN convention?

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

To the Leader of the Opposition I say that the position that the government is bringing to the parliament is known to him because he has been briefed on it. It is a position that serves the national interest. It serves the national interest because it does not rule out the policies or plan of either side of parliament. It would enable the Leader of the Opposition, if he were ever Prime Minister of this country, to enact the policy he believes to be the best. On the basis we are not bringing legislation to the parliament that would rule out the Leader of the Opposition's plan, we say to the Leader of the Opposition that it is not appropriate for him to try and change that legislation to rule out the government's plan.

What is required here—and what Australians are looking for—is a moment of resolve from this parliament: a moment where we set aside politics as usual and work for the common ground. And the common ground must be legislation that enables either side of the parliament to have sufficient power to enact the solution that they believe to be best. Consistently I have said in this parliament that I do not ask the Leader of the Opposition to endorse the government's plan for Malaysia. I do not ask that. With the appropriate power and with the implementation of the arrangement I would expect that the Leader of the Opposition in public discourse would continue to maintain criticism of it. That would be his right as the Leader of the Opposition and a participant in our democracy. What I do not expect is for the Leader of the Opposition to come into this place and deny to this government the kinds of powers that governments past have had and used and the kinds of powers that governments in the future may well seek to use.

So, to the Leader of the Opposition I say that what we will support is the legislation that the government will bring to the parliament. It is appropriately constructed to be common ground. It would enable me, as Prime Minister, to implement the plan that the government has announced—the arrangement with Malaysia. It would enable the Leader of the Opposition, if he were ever Prime Minister, to implement the policy he believes is best—that is, Nauru. That is why it is common ground. That is why it is appropriate. Of course, every step of the way this side of the House will honour obligations under the refugee convention. I understand that to be common ground as well.

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

I have a supplementary question to the Prime Minister. How can the Prime Minister say that the test of bipartisanship is agreeing, always and only, with her? How can the Prime Minister say that the coalition is acting against the national interest when half of her caucus opposes the Malaysian people swap, including Senator Faulkner?

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

I say to the Leader of the Opposition that I specifically did not say to him that my definition of bipartisanship is him endorsing the government's policies. I in fact said the complete reverse. What I said to the Leader of the Opposition—and I ask him to reflect on my actual words rather than what he likes to imagine I may have said—were words which I ask the Leader of the Opposition, in an exercise in the national interest to weigh seriously and with a moment of reflection rather than to engage in the kinds of politicking in this area that Australians are rightly sick of. I say again to the Leader of the Opposition that I am well aware, as he is well aware, that this side of the parliament has one plan; that side of the parliament has another plan. I do not ask the Leader of the Opposition to endorse the government's plan. What I do ask the Leader of the Opposition to do—and why this is common ground—is to enable the government, post the High Court case, to put the Migration Act in an appropriate state that this side of the House can implement its policy and, if the Leader of the Opposition were ever to sit on this side of the House in the Prime Minister's chair, he could implement his policy. That it is common ground. That is why it should be an act of bipartisanship. What the Leader of the Opposition is saying to me is in fact an act of high partisanship, and that is why it does not serve the national interest. He is saying to me that the government should endorse legislative amendments which would only enable his solution to be put into place and not enable the government to implement the arrangement with Malaysia. That is why it is a high act of partisanship. That is why it is reckless. That is why it is not in the national interest and that is why it appears that the Leader of the Opposition is now on a course to wreck offshore processing by this country. And after frothing at the mouth for 12 months about the government and political arrangements with the Greens, what he is now planning to do is to vote with the Australian Greens to destroy offshore processing. That is actually what the Leader of the Opposition is proposing to do. He is proposing to engage in that reckless act of partisanship because he believes that it is in his political interest.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

There is the member for Sturt yelling and interjecting about voting with the Greens. Well, I trust in the divisions that will wreck offshore processing in this country, as the Leader of the Opposition wants to do, that the member for Sturt sits next to the Australian Greens member who will be voting with the Liberal Party. I hope he does that. My point as I articulated was that the opposition likes to yell and scream about the Australian Greens, but they are on a political strategy to lock hands with them, to destroy offshore processing in this country, and if they do that and when they do that then every boat that comes to this country after that moment will be as a result of their reckless conduct.