David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

To be clear, the Greens absolutely will be voting against and rejecting that spray of division that has come from that senator—that spray of division and conspiracy and invective against multicultural Australia, our neighbours and our friends. We reject it, we'll vote against it, and we'll do it every time.

But why has that senator been able to make that contribution, and why is it happening now? Let's be very clear: the door to that vile invective we just heard was opened today by Labor's Immigration Minister Burke. He has done it again, like Labor have done time and time again in their race to the bottom and in their race to the right to see who can be more vile on immigration and refugees. Can it be Labor or Peter Dutton's coalition? Who can be the most vile?

Today, Minister Burke made it clear that Labor can be more vile, can be actually leading this kind of debate, this ugly race to the right on immigration and refugees and multiculturalism that opens the door to that vile invective we just heard from that senator. And what did Minister Burke do? Well, when he was being tested on Labor's incredibly unpopular thought bubble to cut foreign students without any solution for the higher education system in legislation that has been widely rejected, he got up and said: 'If anybody out there who might feel that they are missing out on accommodation because an overseas student has taken it, just know the Leader of the Opposition wants to make that situation worse.' Minister Burke went on and said: 'If anybody out there is thinking that because of the rate of immigration they are having trouble to get a home, just know the Leader of the Opposition has decided to make that worse.' That is the most vile political opportunism from Labor linking migration to the housing policy, linking foreign students to the housing crisis. Labor's revolting leap is even trying to out-Dutton Dutton—out-Dutton the opposition leader, Peter Dutton—and doing it for a narrow, sectional grab for a political moment.

But why does Labor feel that it needs to be even more vile than the coalition? I don't know where they are getting their advice from. There is a progressive majority in this parliament to actually deal with multiculturalism, migration and refugees with decency and compassion and to lead the debate away from where Minister Burke took it today—linking immigration to the housing crisis.

I will tell you why we are in a housing crisis. It is not the fault of immigrants or refugees. It is not the fault of multicultural Australia. Multicultural Australia is building our houses. Multicultural Australia is contributing to the housing industry. It is because of decades of failed policy from both Labor and the coalition. It is because Labor will not join with us to invest the billions of dollars needed to build public housing.

But instead of Labor accepting the responsibility of government and investing in public housing and fixing the problem, what did Minister Burke do? He linked immigration with the housing crisis. He did it from the pulpit of the House of Representatives. He did it as a Labor minister. He disgraced Labor and he disgraced the chamber and he should apologise. And the Prime Minister should hold him to account, because Labor right now is saying, pretty much every time they are asked on immigration, that actually they are meaner and nastier than the coalition. They want to be seen as meaner and nastier than the coalition and they probably are when it comes to immigration right now because that is their minister, Minister Burke, using his authority as minister for immigration to link immigration and the housing crisis. Well, we say to Labor: be better. Be better. You want to deal with the housing crisis? Build public houses. You want to deal with the fact that people in Western Sydney can't get a flat? Join with the Greens and put billions of dollars into public housing and never, ever blame multicultural Australia for the mess you have made—disgraceful!