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

I want to acknowledge someone very special in the chamber with us today: Mr Behrouz Boochani. Behrouz is an author who lives in New Zealand, but his journey here from Iran has been long and it's been dangerous. He's here in Australia to promote his new book, Freedom, Only Freedom. Earlier today, he made a really important address to the Australian people from right here in Parliament House, the home of Australia's democracy.

Many people, including opposition leader Peter Dutton, said that Behrouz would never set foot in Australia. But here he is—not only in Australia, but in our Parliament House, and, today, in this Senate chamber. So let's be clear about this: Peter Dutton lost and Behrouz Boochani won. And that is a triumph. It is triumph, over 10 years where Behrouz and many others have faced dehumanisation—have faced being brutalised. They've witnessed rapes, murders, armed assaults, child sex abuse; they've seen people die—many people, multiple people, die—under a bipartisan policy of cruelty. It is an absolute triumph that Behrouz Boochani is here in this chamber today.

But, while Behrouz is free, there are others who are not. There are still people on Nauru and in Papua New Guinea, after 10 long years in exile, who are still suffering, and it is time to end their suffering. They must immediately be offered transfer to Australia so they can be looked after here. Ultimately, that is the responsibility of this parliament, and that is what the Greens are calling on all senators from all parties to support.