Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

If it is false, it is not evidence; it is a lie, it is untrue and can never be sustained. For the Human Rights Commission to have embraced that and to have then talked about it in the media is a matter of great concern. For those concerned about human rights, and especially at a time when Australia quite rightly has, as its Australian of the Year, a champion to fight domestic violence, a wonderful woman, think of this as an offering from the Human Rights Commission. About John Basikbasik, who entered the country illegally in 1985, later murdered his pregnant partner and was involved in a revolving door of violent incidents, the Human Rights Commission said, 'He should be removed from detention and be paid $350,000 of Australian taxpayers' money'. There you have a wonderful championing of human rights—apart, perhaps, from those of the dead partner and those of all the victims of the violence. Is it any wonder that there are a number of people and commentators questioning decision-making in the Human Rights Commission? I, for one, am quite frankly amazed that the Human Rights Commission could discard a female partner who was killed in rage when expecting a child—that they should recommend he be released from detention after having come into this country illegally.

Then there was another one. The Human Rights Commission recommended that a serial criminal be paid $300,000 of taxpayers' money in compensation for being detained while engaging in legal action to prevent deportation. Do you know what the Federal Court said about that action to prevent deportation? The Federal Court is somewhat higher than the Human Rights Commission. With respect to Ben Saul and Senator Wong's other Labor mates, the Federal Court is actually a judicial body. Do you know what the Federal Court said about this criminal's legal actions? They said they were 'frivolous, vexatious and embarrassing.' Here you have a fully-fledged court of the Commonwealth of Australia saying that the action by this person was 'frivolous, vexatious and embarrassing'—while on the other hand you have the Human Rights Commission, under Professor Triggs, saying, 'This poor man; he deserves $300,000 of Australian taxpayers' money.'

These are the sorts of decisions that have been coming out of the Australian Human Rights Commission in recent times. On top of that, you have had the ludicrous false allegations of armed guards at Christmas Island and we have this ludicrous time, now, of having to lock the children in detention. And so the list goes on.

This motion has all the hallmarks of the Australian Labor Party. It is not based on principle; it is based on hypocrisy and duplicity. It is seeking to champion the cause of certain decisions which fly in the face of people—not that one email or letter that Senator Wong got that she claims represents mainstream Australia. I would invite Senator Wong, the Australian Labor Party, the Greens and the crossbenchers to go out onto any street corner and ask what people think of the decision to give John Basikbasik $350,000 for being in detention whilst having to face these very serious charges.

I have no doubt where the Australian people stand in relation to these matters. They want genuine human rights. They want people to be protected. Might I say, the Attorney-General has done an absolutely superb job in doing exactly that—being a great steward of the Australian taxpayer dollar and human rights.