Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Labor Party has been running this line about people arriving by plane to seek asylum since the election, and it is deeply counterproductive and dangerous. Attempting to outflank Minister Peter Dutton from the right, the Labor Party are co-opting the language of Mr Dutton and Senator Hanson on border security and implying that we have something to fear from people seeking asylum. Surely the fact that One Nation have joined this campaign ought to give Labor pause for thought. The facts are that, if people have a claim for asylum, they ought to be allowed to make it in our country, because, despite the last 20 years of cruelty, we are still a signatory to the refugee convention and people should be allowed to claim asylum, no matter how they arrive in this country. Most dangerously, Labor is effectively egging on Mr Dutton to crack down harder on refugees. He's already wrecked and destroyed enough lives and he needs no further encouragement.