Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate rejects the vilification of refugees and asylum seekers.

Question agreed to.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition oppose this motion because it does not accept the premise of it, being that refugees and asylum seekers in Australia are vilified. Senator Hanson-Young provided the context of this motion in her contribution to the Senate when she moved to suspend standing orders in the last sitting week. The Greens and the Labor Party have a hear no truth, see no truth, speak no truth policy when it comes to the issue of asylum seekers and their failures on our borders. Anyone who dares to even raise the topic or wants to talk about the government's failures is branded as someone who vilifies them and is a racist.

Whilst the Greens do not like to admit it because it does not suit their purposes, it is a fact that Australia has an excellent record in the acceptance and placement of refugees into this country, with the head of the United Nations acknowledging that Australia has the most generous humanitarian settlement services program in the world, with much of this being achieved because of the policies of the former Howard government. It is a fact that the Greens do not like Australia having strong border protection laws. That is anathema to the Greens and as such they want to shut down any form of debate on the issue. The Greens are a party that tell Australians— (Time expired)

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It beggars belief that the coalition today not just voted against a motion that says that this place will not accept the vilification of refugees and asylum seekers—that is what the motion said—that the coalition cannot even accept that. Rather than taking the approach that in this place, as elected members of parliament, we should be promoting the positive contributions that migrant communities make—whether they be refugees, whether they be people who have moved here because of family ties, whether they have come for work. These people have made a contribution to this country. Yet all we continue to hear from the coalition, right down to when they vote on this motion, is more nastiness, more cruelty and more lies.