Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week the immigration minister announced that he would be cutting financial support and housing for up to 400 asylum seekers presently in Australia. He also complained that lawyers who defend people's legal rights are un-Australian, suggesting that the social justice motivations of law firms, including those at the top end of town, were part of a politically correct plot. Then he accused these un-Australian lawyers of wasting taxpayers' dollars on High Court cases. If the minister is so concerned about the impact of his decisions on the budget bottom line, perhaps he and his department should make decisions according to law. Maybe he should work with our international neighbours to make regional resettlement a reality and save the cost of offshore detention centres. Seriously, how on earth does upholding the rule of law and protecting a person's legal rights undermine our nation's values? I thought a fair go was central to who we are as a nation. It's the sort of argument you hear from a bent cop. It's not what we should be hearing from a minister of state.

If large corporate law firms around the country are prepared to give up staff time and profits to assist with claims against the government—a government that provides these firms with millions of dollars worth of legal work—surely that should be telling him something. It should be an alarm bell—not that there are too many do-gooders out there but that there are serious problems with the way that this government behaves.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think there was an implication in the member for Burt's remarks, and I think it should be withdrawn.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do need to say to the Leader of the House that I'm not sure what implication he is referring to.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, he was talking about the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and he used a phrase beforehand about the minister's former profession, which he then described in a most unparliamentary way. I think it would assist the House if the member for Burt were prepared to withdraw it.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the Leader of the House is seriously saying something needs to be withdrawn on the basis that there was a criticism made of the job people had before they were here, I would love you to make that ruling—and there will be points of order consistently during question time. Unless that's the principle and the new line that's going to be drawn, I think the comment should stand.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was getting ready and getting papers ready for question time, I didn't hear the offending remark, as I said. I don't want to spend another 90 seconds on it now. I say to the member for Burt: I will review it, rather than try to make a judgement on something I didn't hear. I don't think that's fair to anybody.