Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Morrison's speech this week really confirmed that he has no agenda on the things that matter to the lives of the people we represent—nothing on schools, nothing on Medicare, nothing on hospitals, nothing on the NBN, nothing on wages, certainly nothing on climate change, and nothing about what he would do to fix the banks. It is very clear this government has nothing left but a fear campaign.

On the message and the bill that is before the chamber, Labor has always made clear that we believe it is possible to have strong border security policy but also to ensure that the people who we have a responsibility for who are ill and sick are treated appropriately by medical practitioners. Our two clear objectives have been making sure that sick people get the care they need and making sure that the minister has the final discretion when it comes to medical transfers.

We will never let the people smugglers back in business. We have been clear that we support offshore processing, turnbacks when safe to do so and regional resettlement—and we are responsible. You don't see us leaking classified information for political purposes—a completely shameful act by those opposite, by those who represent those opposite. We act on advice from agencies, as demonstrated in the constructive negotiations and the amendments which were put and agreed to against the votes of the government in the lower house. Those amendments enhance the security arrangements, extend the time frame of the government to refuse transfers and ensure that this legislation is ring-fenced. They will only apply to a fixed number of people who are already in regional processing. The bill requires the government to listen to the advice of doctors. It is not prospective and, of course, this legislation will continue the practice where people who are transferred for medical care will continue to be held in detention as a default and only the minister can approve their release.

There are lies being told about this bill by those opposite, and they are doing it because they are desperate. They are desperate. They are led by a desperate Prime Minister, who is leading a bitterly divided government. He is clearly only concerned about one thing: clinging on to his job. That is the only thing this has always been about. The shenanigans we saw at the end of last year: filibuster, filibuster, and then sending the House of Representatives home before you could deal with a national security bill. There was brinkmanship with national security—