Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to clarify that the Greens will not be supporting the opposition's amendments as circulated and spoken to by Senator Brandis. In fact, I am extremely concerned that we are debating the introduction of amendments that absolutely fly in the face of international law when it comes to the laws of the sea. We know that the proposals that have been put forward by the coalition are incredibly dangerous. The idea that we would turn back asylum seeker boats on the high seas is a policy that the opposition have been spruiking for years.

All of the evidence from those who have worked in this field previously such as the former Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral Barrie, clearly says that it will not work, it puts the lives of our brave men and women at risk and it pushes people to take desperate acts which we just should not be promoting. In fact, Admiral Barrie said only last year:

My expectation wouldn't be very high it's going to work in many cases, and I would be very conscious that our commanding officers at sea must act in accordance with international law.

The problem with the coalition's policy is that it drives people to very desperate measures, and I do not think it is something we should promote.

Of course there are many Australian defence personnel and international law experts on the record condemning this policy of the coalition, but there is also the Indonesian government, which has said time and time again that it simply will not accept this policy by the coalition. And we know that when Tony Abbott, the Leader of the Opposition, had an opportunity to raise this issue with the President of Indonesia, he could not even bring himself to put this topic on the table for discussion, because the Leader of the Opposition knew very well that the Indonesian government, the Prime Minister of Indonesia and the Foreign Minister of Indonesia have all flatly rejected this as a workable option.

I will read one statement from the Indonesian foreign minister from March 2010:

… simply pushing boats back to where they came from would be a backward step.

…   …   …

The general concept of pushing boats back and forth would be an aberration to the general consensus that has been established since 2003.

That is what the Indonesian government says about this ludicrous, dangerous, extreme policy of the coalition.

The Greens will not be supporting this desperate measure. I think it is incredibly unhelpful. It is illegal under international law. It is rejected by our neighbours, the very people we need to engage with in a positive way if we are to establish a genuine regional approach to people who are seeking asylum. Rejecting their opinion of this, dangerously pushing boats back to the high seas and not listening to our neighbours are not the ways you engage the very people you need in order to get us through what is going to be a challenging decade when we know that the number of people in our region who are seeking asylum and on the move is growing.

It beggars belief that the opposition continue to bang on about this issue despite all of the evidence showing that it will not work and is dangerous. Our Navy officers will not do it. That is what the Chief of the Defence Force has said. They will not accept their officers breaking the law and putting lives at risk. And our closest neighbour, whom we need to engage, says they will not have a bar of it. And of course Tony Abbott knows this; as I have reminded us here today, he could not even bring himself to bring it up with the President of Indonesia when he was here. It is all guff and bravado and has no substance in terms of a workable policy. I suggest we move on and vote for the amendment to get it knocked off.