Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, you tell me where all those queues are, Senator Cash. When a village is burnt to the ground and people are moved on, and they are desperate to go, are you saying that they should go halfway around the world to get in some non-existent queue? Really, it is a silly argument.

It is not done to actually have a serious debate about these issues; it is done by resorting to the lowest common denominator, trying to evoke emotional support for their low-road politics. Through all of this, did we hear Senator Fierravanti-Wells actually suggest what the coalition might do on any of these things? She talked about some of the changes we have made, and I wish I had time to go through those things. But all the changes we made were ultimately supported in this place by the coalition. Every single one of them was supported by the coalition. We make no excuse for treating the most vulnerable people in this world with humanity. We do it in a properly regulated, tough manner—where if you come here seeking asylum, you are treated with dignity; and if you are here illegally, you get deported. (Time expired)