Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I was attempting to encourage those senators, like Senator Cash—and particularly the Western Australian senators, who seem to have decided there is some sort of political advantage in going the low road, in trying to incite fear and anger against asylum seekers—to try to have a calm, rational debate about the public policy challenge of unauthorised boat arrivals. This has been a problem for governments over many years. We have had arrivals in 25 of the last 33 years.