Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Singh, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that 20 June 2017 is World Refugee Day,

(ii) the theme for 2017 is #withrefugees,

(iii) that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that there are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, and 21.3 million refugees,

(iv) that Australia has an obligation under international law to support refugees and to make a fair contribution to the international efforts to aid refugees, and

(v) the extremely significant social and economic contribution refugees have made and continue to make to all aspects of Australian life; and

(b) calls for:

(i) a reasoned, principled and facts-based approach to the issue of asylum seekers and refugees,

(ii) Australia to continue to work with other nations and the United Nations (UN) to address the complex global and regional challenges associated with displaced people worldwide that cannot be addressed by countries acting on their own,

(iii) the Turnbull Government to match Labor's policy of increasing Australia's refugee intake to 27 000 by 2025, and

(iv) Australia to actively participate in the UN High Level Meeting on Refugees and Migrants, scheduled for 19 September in New York.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition government fully supports World Refugee Day but cannot support this motion in its current form. It is disappointing that Labor would seek to politicise World Refugee Day in this way. It was this government that successfully delivered an additional intake of 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees and the largest offshore humanitarian program in more than 30 years in 2015-16. The coalition government is increasing Australia's refugee intake in a compassionate and responsible way. The number of places available under the humanitarian program will rise to 18,750 in 2018-19.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a one-minute statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens will be supporting this motion; however, we note that Australia's humanitarian intake should be raised to 50,000 annually, not 19,000 or 27,000. But as it is World Refugee Day I would be remiss if I did not point out that Labor, along with the Liberal and Nationals parties, continues to support the indefinite detention of refugees and people seeking asylum on Manus Island and Nauru. So, to the reasonable senators of the Labor Party: no, you might not be verbally defending these policies, but you keep voting for them, and every time you vote for them you endorse them. So, stop voting to endorse torture, stop voting to endorse offshore detention, stop voting for misery, look at what is happening around the world and start voting for the values you were elected on.

Question agreed to.