Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Senate. I will not take that long. I and my colleagues take this matter very seriously. You responded to my request, Mr President, to make a ruling on a point of order which I took in question time today when Senator Brandis on a number of occasions referred to refugees to this country as ‘illegals’. The point that we make here is that refugees coming by boat to this country are not illegals. It has been shown that over 90 per cent end up being classified as genuine refugees. The term ‘illegals’ applied to refugees is pejorative and worse—I will not use the terms that I think are appropriate to it. It is scaremongering and it vilifies a small number of people who do not deserve to be treated in that fashion. I reiterate that the people are not illegal and therefore the term is wrongly applied to them.

You would be aware, Mr President, that the rules of this place provide that you shall not use in questions put to the chair ‘imputations, inferences or arguments’. There could be no clearer case of imputations, inferences and arguments than people who are genuinely within the law being labelled ‘illegals’ in a question put across the chamber. It should stop. I note that you have now tabled a statement which points out that you have ruled on several occasions that terms of this nature are not out of order and that your rulings are in accordance with established rules of the Senate. You have inter alia made it very clear that you are making a ruling. You are reiterating past rulings. It is that that I am dissenting from.

This is a very clear case of dissent from a ruling you have made to uphold previous rulings—not on the question Senator Brandis made across the chamber today, obviously, but on similar or related matters. It is proper for me to be able to dissent from that ruling and it is proper for the Senate chamber to debate that matter under standing orders tomorrow when we resume. This is an extremely important matter; I would not be raising it if it were not. I am not at all in agreement with the statement you made to the chamber in response to my request to you to make a ruling. You have effectively made a ruling. I am dissenting from that ruling. I put forward a motion of dissent to you in the chair.