James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

In line with the longstanding view of successive governments, given that formal motions cannot be debated or amended, they should not deal with complex and contested foreign policy matters. A foreign policy motion is likely to be complex and contested where the motion is insulting or demeaning; contain assertions of fact that are unverifiable; has the potential to damage Australia's relations with other nations; or, in some other way, is contrary to Australia's national interests. The Senate should not consider and vote on foreign policy motions of this kind without the ability to have a full debate, given they involve serious and substantial issues.

I encourage the Greens to liaise with Minister Bishop's office, as they have done in relation to other notices of motion that are on the Notice Paper concerning foreign policy matters. Minister Bishop's office is very consultative in trying to assist all members of the Senate in relation to the motions that appear before us. The government do not like having to deny formality on such motions, but we will continue to do so as the Greens continue to play base politics in relation to the abuse of the notice of motion procedure. You are fully aware—through you, Madam Deputy President—that notices of motion will be denied formality where they deal with contested foreign policy matters. In relation to the notice that is before us today, it clearly deals with a complex and contested foreign policy matter.

I'm not going to be lectured, and no member of the coalition is going to be lectured, by the Greens in relation to some of the comments that have come from Senator McKim concerning the treatment of children, because it was under the previous Labor-Greens government where children died at sea. Where were the tears from the Greens then? Because that happened at sea and away from the glare of television cameras, there was no outrage from the Greens. There was no outrage from the Greens for those children who died at sea. There was no outrage from the Greens for all those hundreds of people who died at sea. There was no outrage whatsoever. What you heard then was silence. So this side, the conservative side of politics, will certainly not be lectured by the Greens when it comes to the treatment of children in detention centres. We're certainly not going to be lectured by you in relation to what a sovereign foreign government is doing to the control of its own borders.

The subtext here is that the Greens are completely obsessed by President Trump, because President Trump is actually doing what he said he was going to do. He is controlling the borders. He is making sure he is delivering on the promises that he took to the American election a few years ago. Whether it is President Trump dealing with North Korea, whether it is President Trump bringing forward tax cuts, whether it is tax cuts that are helping push along the American economy or whether it's actually cutting regulation—President Trump is cutting regulation—the Greens are completely obsessed by President Trump. They've got blinkers on. You just have to say the word 'Trump' and they all start twitching and their eyes start blinking in a crazy-like fashion. It is not the position of this Senate to lecture a sovereign foreign government when there are contested and complex foreign affairs matters.