Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

We must, unlike some tin-pot dictatorship, follow the rulings of the High Court. That is fundamental to the Australian operation of law.

And I have to reflect for a moment on Senator McKim's contribution as well. It is not right to conflate broader issues of migration and of the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers with this issue. This is a cohort who have committed offences—some of them are very serious offences—and the approach of the government will be to ensure community safety. That's what we will do. It is a big mistake, in my view, for people on either side of this argument to try and conflate these. It serves the interests of some on the extremes of either side of Australian politics, but it is not in the national interest to conflate these issues.

As to Mr Dutton's history on this question and the opposition's history on this question—if only people we were made more secure by shouting! If only people were made more secure by tough talk.

You know what we need in this situation? We need precision. We need deliberation. We need cold calculations about what is in the national interest. We need to develop an approach to the law that is consistent with the national interest. None of that has been displayed by those opposite, who have just shouted and bellowed and talked tough and come up with nothing that is in the national interest. I look forward to seeing your conduct this week, when it really counts, as we legislate our way through this set of challenges. I look forward to seeing whether you're actually capable of acting in the national interest. (Time expired)