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

I am not sure of the views of all the persons in our ‘ranks’, however defined, but certainly there are a range of views in Australian democracy about these matters. I must say, though, that the proposition has received very strong support from people like Malcolm Fraser and other eminent Australians and also from a whole range of international organisations that previously have been a bit wary about such propositions. They recognise that we need a regional response and that we will not be able to seriously address this issue in the longer term unless we have a regional response. The processing centre is a key element of the regional protection framework, but fundamentally it requires that people are able to seek asylum in any country in the region and to receive fair and equal treatment in having their asylum claims processed. I think there is very widespread support for that fundamental proposition.