Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the roles of elected representatives is to present petitions to the House on behalf of constituents. I wish today to present a petition that has been considered by the Petitions Committee and found to be in order. This is a heartfelt petition from the petitioners, the principal petitioner being Father Michael Alcock of Toormina. I advise the House there were some 22 signatories to the petition.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable Mr Luke Hartsuyker, Member for Cowper, and Members of the House of Representatives:

This petition of concerned parishioners of Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church Sawtell draws to the attention of the House the welfare of the 600 asylum seekers on Manus Island.

We therefore ask the House to take up the offer of the New Zealand government in accepting 150 of those left on Manus Island, and for the Australian Government to settle the remaining 450.

from 22 citizens