Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

It's the opposition's view, firmly, that the Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions) Bill should be dealt with today. It is also our view that it should have been dealt with yesterday—or the day before, or indeed last week. And it is our view that the government should have been prepared not just yesterday or last week but last month or the month before that, because the government has known that the High Court was going to make a decision and a ruling on this critical issue. And the government has had indications in terms of comments made from the bench that that ruling may well have gone against them. Yet they have been caught flat-footed. They have not done the preparatory work. It is clear that this government has been dragged to the position of presenting this legislation to parliament.

Last Thursday the opposition asked where the legislation was and why it wasn't coming forward. We want to see it passed. We will pass it today, but we will scrutinise it and we reserve the right to propose amendments to it.