Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have no respect! How is that? I just want to make this point before I get on to the substance of my address. On the night that Ms Gillard took over the prime ministership there was an adjournment debate in this House. I spoke on it and so did Senator Lundy. On that very night, or perhaps it was the night after, Senator Lundy came into this chamber and dripped with praise for the new prime minister, because she was all part of that plot. She was out for a promotion. Get her the Hansard. It is disgraceful. It is terrible that anyone could be as greasy as Senator Lundy. Heaven forbid if that is how she treats her public office. And she—who does nothing in this chamber—has the audacity to interject on me and say that I am just filling in time. Rubbish! You are the greatest filler I have ever met.

The gravity of this issue does require someone from the front bench, other than an interjector, to come in and speak on this issue. But they never do. They always leave it to the hapless backbench, who know nothing about what is going on. They were warned about the softening of the laws by the Labor Party in 2008. They were warned by their own department. Senator Evans was warned by the department that this would lead to a surge and he was warned by the Federal Police that this would lead to a surge. And that is exactly what happened. But due to the false piety of the other side trying to claim some delusional moral high ground, they maintain this soft policy. What is so moral, I ask them—and I ask the next speaker to answer this question—about giving succour to the people smugglers? What is so moral about inducing people to cross the seas on treacherous journeys where many are lost? What is so moral about denying those in the detention camps, who rightly apply and queue up, their chance to come out to Australia? These are the true moral questions that those on the other side ought to address. You have a policy that is in shambles. You are in denial. (Time expired)