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

The Greens will be supporting these amendments. We are very clearly on the record saying that temporary protection visas are only given to people who have already been found to be worthy and needing protection. It simply adds more pain and more suffering to people and does not allow refugees to rebuild their lives in this country. It does not allow them to put roots down, start contributing properly, allow their kids to go to school and know that they will become Australian citizens and proud members of our Australian community. Temporary protection visas last time around, under John Howard, were a fundamental failure of policy. It is why they did not work. It is why, under John Howard, they had to be quietly reversed for person after person after person. They did not stop the boats. All they did—

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

The CHAIRMAN: Order! Senator Hanson-Young, please resume your seat. Senator Bernardi, I would kindly ask you to resume your own seat.

Of course these amendments to remove and to delete temporary protection visas are important. Under the John Howard government, temporary protection visas encouraged women and children onto boats. Temporary protection visas kept genuine refugees in limbo in the community for years, suffering unnecessarily. They do not allow people who are genuine refugees who need protection, who deserve protection and who want to contribute to our nation the ability to rebuild their lives or to have certainty around what their kids are going to do and what jobs they are going to take. Temporary protection visas were a fundamental failure of policy last time they existed, and they will be again. That is why the Greens support deleting them from the bill.

The CHAIRMAN: The question is that the amendments be agreed to.