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

I move amendment (8) on sheet 7629:

(8) Clause 2, page 2 (table item 2), omit the table item.

And the Greens oppose schedule 1 in the following terms:

(1) Schedule 1, page 5 (line 1) to page 23 (line 13), to be opposed.

Schedule 1 of the bill relates to the maritime powers being inserted into the Migration Act to overrule international law on the high seas. This schedule effectively allows, at the command of the immigration minister, our Navy and our customs officers to be directed to act illegally on the high seas. We know of course that there have been terrible situations where our Navy officers have been asked to do things that no person working for the Australian government and in the name of the Australian people should be asked to do. We know that because we saw it. We saw officers only this week pour their hearts out on the 7.30 program over the types of activities they had been asked to undertake whilst intercepting and turning around boats.

This schedule is all about removing Australia's obligations under international law and allowing the command of the immigration minister to reign high. This is an immigration minister who is already drunk on power. He already thinks he can do whatever he wants and now he wants to be able to tell our Navy to not follow international law.