Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

No, that's not correct, Senator Shoebridge, and I'm sure that that will be the first of many such suggestions from you. What we are doing here is presenting legislation and considering and accepting and in some cases moving amendments that have been brought forward by the opposition. We are acting on the basis of the best possible advice that we've been able to obtain about the constitutionality of these amendments. But I've repeatedly made clear, and I'll do it again now, that there does remain a degree of constitutional risk. The alternative, which seems to be the position of the Greens party, is that we don't move legislation and that, despite the efforts the government has made since this decision was handed down to protect the Australian people—put conditions around the individuals released, worked with state and territory authorities to ensure that people are monitored and other things—from the moment of the release of these individuals, we accept and have always accepted that there remains some risk to Australians' safety and that the government has an obligation to protect its people. I would have thought that all parliamentarians would see that as an important responsibility.

So, it's fine for you to come in here and effectively say that we shouldn't move until we have the reasons of the High Court and full constitutional authority and reasoning on which to act. We don't think this is a matter that should wait until that occurs.