Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—Australia has a long and proud history as a refugee resettlement country and as a cooperative international partner in sharing the responsibility for refugee protection. It is only right that this generous and ongoing humanitarian commitment is acknowledged through events like Refugee Week. Refugee Week also provides an opportunity to recognise the plight of refugees around the world and acknowledge the contribution made by a range of government and non-government organisations in helping refugees contribute to Australian society. It was therefore disappointing but hardly surprising to see an eleventh-hour amendment to this motion by Senator Hanson-Young in an attempt to score cheap political points at the expense of what could have been a tripartite motion celebrating the rich diversity of refugee communities throughout Australia. The government will not be supporting the amended motion.