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

We all know what those impediments are. They are those on the other side, teaming up yet again in this place with their coalition partners, the Greens, to block the reintroduction of temporary protection visas—which we were given a very clear mandate to reinstitute at the last election. It is interesting to note the words of the former immigration minister, Mr O'Connor, who—again just one year ago, on 23 June 2013—said:

… the Parliament has to act in the national interest, and also, quite frankly, in the interest of those people that are in great danger on the high seas because they're being lured on to these vessels. Now it seems to me we should be putting those interests first …

Perhaps those on the other side, given that they created this mess, may take Mr O'Connor's words to heart. They also may take a leaf out of former senator Bob Carr's book, where he said:

Get out of the way and basically let the Abbott government do the job it does, which is stop the boats.