EO&E..............................................................................................................................................................

  

 

Just a few opening remarks by observing that since we last met in this room a few hours ago there has been much better news at sea. It seems that very large numbers of people from the suspected illegal entry vessel have been rescued and that obviously is great news and it's a tribute to the extraordinary professionalism of our military forces on the spot and to the work of the other merchant vessels that were there on the spot.

 

Now, as I hope is now clear, what the Coalition wants to do is to provide a secure legislative basis for offshore processing and that in turn can provide the basis for stronger border protection measures from the executive government. Now, we tried to do this earlier today with our own bill. That wasn't possible. Now, as you know, we are trying to amend the Oakeshott bill so that it essentially reflects the provisions of our own bill and so that it reflects what we believe is common ground across the Parliament.

 

Now, it's very important if there is to be progress from the current debate that we emerge with a bill that the whole Parliament can support. It is absolutely critical if today's debate is to be fruitful and productive that what emerged from this is a bill that can be supported by the Senate as well as by the House of Representatives and that is what the Morrison amendment, the Coalition amendment is designed to ensure because we can be absolutely confident that the Senate will not support any bill that is essentially the Malaysia people swap. They won't and they shouldn't because as the Government has already made clear under the Malaysia people swap only men can be sure of being sent back and that means that the boats are going to be comprised of women and children and they will keep coming. They will keep coming under the Malaysian deal and that is going to make a bad situation worse.

 

Now, in order to try to get legislation through the Lower House that has a good chance of passing the Senate, Scott and I and my Coalition colleagues have offered a compromise to crossbench members of Parliament in order to try to secure support for our amendments to the Oakeshott bill. Essentially, what we have offered to crossbench members is an increase in Australia's refugee and humanitarian intake from the current level to 20,000 a year within three years and the purpose of offering this compromise is to try to get support for a workable bill.

 

We also think that it makes sense to offer people who are prepared to try to come to Australia the right way rather than the wrong way more opportunity to do so and I should thank three of my Coalition colleagues Judi Moylan, Mal Washer and Russell Broadbent for the work they have done in trying to negotiate this compromise position with the crossbench members of Parliament.

 

So I believe that what the Coalition is now offering to the Parliament is humane offshore processing. Humane offshore processing plus a somewhat larger refugee and humanitarian intake in a bid to break this impasse. In a bid to get progress from this difficult and fraught day. It is, in fact, giving to the Parliament exactly the kind of secure basis for the offshore processing that Prime Minister Gillard said she wanted prior to the election, that is to say offshore processing in a country that acknowledged and recognised the UN refugee convention and I would appeal to decent Labor members of Parliament, who in their hearts are deeply unhappy with the Malaysia people swap to think again about the Morrison amendment, particularly given the compromise that we have now put on the table to try to ensure that our legislative proposal can go through the House of Representatives.

 

I’m going to ask Scott to say a few words.

 

 

I just wanted to run through the other points of part of that package in addition to the measure that Tony announced about 20,000 refugee humanitarian entrants per annum within three years. There would also be support for a sunset clause on the bill that is currently being debated in the House of twelve months. There would also be the intention for us to seek that any facility that was involved in offshore processing would be overseen, run by the UNHCR. That would obviously require their agreement but that is what we would seek. Fourthly, that people who are processed at any centre would have the processing of claims done within 12 months and that there would be a multi-party committee that would be established to work with the agencies of government, with the various organisations that are involved in our settlement services programme, remembering that it’s largely not-for-profit organisations that provide those services on contract, Salvation Army and others and we would work with them to work out how we can get to that number of 20,000, which would be a significant impact on that programme which is already straining and to do it in a way that ensured that the programme did not collapse under the weight of such an increase. So they’re the measures that we put forward.

 

Obviously, Tony, we obviously remain committed to all the other measures that we’ve always stood by as a Coalition. Temporary protection visas are not addressed in this legislation. Temporary protection visas remain possible to the Government obviously as do the other measures we’ve talked about on other occasions.

 

 

Mr Abbott, [inaudible] full response from the Greens on your package given that it will be the Greens who will decide the fate of this in the Senate?

 

 

Look, discussions have been waxing and waning but we’ve been going backwards and forward in the course of the afternoon. As I said, this is a very good faith offer that we have put on the table for crossbenchers and indeed for other people of goodwill in the Parliament to try to get a better legislative basis, for stronger government policy to deal with people smuggling and boat arrivals in a form that will go through the Parliament.

 

 

[Inaudible] I ask that in so far as some of these things, I take it, you wouldn’t be able to enact in this piece of legislation. You would have to… would these be an election promise? Is that how it’s being framed?

 

 

These are commitments that I am prepared to make in order to get what I think is a workable piece of legislation through the Parliament. What we take to the next election will be announced in due course but this is a commitment that I am prepared to put on the table now. It’s commitment that I am prepared to put on the table now for the purposes of getting workable legislation through the Parliament.

 

 

You can’t enact it until you’re in government?

 

 

As I said, it’s a commitment to raise the annual refugee and humanitarian intake to 20,000 within three years. So obviously, it’s something that we would do in government but it’s something that needs to be accepted now. We are putting it on the table now to try to get workable legislation through the Parliament to address the crisis that we have now on our borders.

 

 

Adam Bandt in the last half hour, after your negotiations on this presumably, has said he’s not going to support the bill. The Greens are not going to support the bill or the amendment. Now, that makes, even with this 20,000 offer, is not going to pass the Senate. It’s got as much chance as Labor. Is it not the case that the Parliament is going to remain paralysed until you and Labor can see eye to eye?

 

 

Well, the point I’m making is that I am prepared to move in good faith to try to get workable legislation through this Parliament. I think it would be bad for our country as well as a further disaster in the litany of border protection failures if having had an emotional and a at times traumatic debate today in response to deeply distressing news from the seas to our north, if we were to get no further. Now, this is all about trying to get progress from the Parliament, rather than deadlock from the Parliament.

 

Lenore?

 

 

But [inaudible] you and Labor to agree or to support offshore processing, isn’t it going to have to be you and Labor who come to a solution?

 

 

Well, I believe that what we are offering today is a humane way forward. It gives us humane offshore processing, offshore processing with protections and that’s what we want to get through the Parliament. The point I make is that the Coalition does not support Malaysia, will not support Malaysia. Malaysia, as I have been saying uphill and down dale for months is a dud deal and the Coalition doesn’t support one thing one day and something wildly different the next day. We are not simply corks being washed around here. I mean, we are trying to be true to the principals that we have supported, to the policies that we have supported for a decade but within those fundamental principles and commitments, we are trying to bring something constructive out of this particular parliamentary debate.

 

Michael?

 

 

Do you expect a vote on your motion this evening? What’s the expectation out of Parliament tonight?

 

 

Well, those are matters probably better addressed to Christopher Pyne in terms of how the debate proceeds but I would just be appealing to members right across the Parliament when the Government, if my amendment were to carry, I think should support the bill and that would enable that bill with the Government’s support also, to go to the Senate and if they joined with us in the Senate to support the Oakeshott bill then we can leave this week with a set of legislation which the Government can act upon.

Now, that, I think, is something for all members to reflect on. This has been a very spirited debate and I agree with Mr Abbott on this. There are some very impassioned speeches being made in there. This is something that I think, you know, tests the metal of every member of parliament and I think you’re seeing your parliament on fine display this afternoon. This is what people wanted to see. They wanted to see people talking about this issue in a constructive way that dealt with some real issues on the table and that’s what’s happening in the Parliament. These are real things that have been put on the table and I’d be appealing to the crossbenches to support that amendment and then we can all support a good bill that gives this Government some powers to work with.

 

QUESTION:

[Inaudible] referring to earlier, the crossbenches is fine, but you’re not going anywhere unless you get support from Labor. That is the key here, isn’t it, and do you say that you have made enough good faith concessions to be able to a reasonably ask Labor to give you support?

 

Well I believe that we are doing our best here to win sufficient crossbench support to pass the Morrison amendments and I believe that the Oakeshott bill, as amended, is the kind of bill that a decent Labor Party would be happy to support. Let’s face it. This is the position that Labor took to the last election. We are trying to legislatively enshrine the precise position that the Labor Party took to the last election. I know, because Labor members have spoken to me, that there’s a lot of unhappiness within the Labor Party at the Malaysia people swap. I think we ought to try to get something out of this parliamentary debate that can secure broad support across the Parliament and can pass the Parliament and as I said, the Oakeshott bill, unamended, might possibly get through the House of Representatives, but it certainly won’t get through the Senate and we will be no further advanced. I am offering progress, progress to a solution for this diabolical problem which has now afflicted our country for the last four years.

QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, are you certain now that no Coalition MP will cross the floor in the House? That’s still a possibility?

 

TONY ABBOTT:

I am confident, I am confident that all Coalition MPs will support the amendment that we’re proposing and I would be very surprised if any Coalition MP supports the Malaysia people swap because it is abundantly clear that A) it won’t pass the Parliament, and B) it won’t stop the boats and that’s got to be our ultimate objective.

QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, earlier today you said that you examined your conscience and as a result be putting legislative backing for offshore processing. That wasn’t your position on Monday. You didn’t come in Monday and put forward this legislative option. So what swayed you? What made yourself and Mr Morrison decide that this needed to happen today?

 

 

Well obviously a situation where you’ve had two maritime disasters within a week is a situation that is crying out to heaven for a response from the Parliament. Now, you’ve seen our response in the Parliament and what we’ve tried to do today is to provide the Parliament with legislation which has the hope of being carried. The problem with the Oakeshott bill unamended is that it almost certainly will go nowhere in the Senate.

 

 

Can I ask Mr Morrison to clarify, just on the commitment to processing within 12 months. If people are found to be refugees and other countries won’t take them, will they be resettled in Australia?

 

SCOTT MORRISON:

What we’ve committed to is that people have their claims processed within 12 months. That’s what our commitment is.

 

QUESTION:

Just in relation to temporary protection visas, you’ve made the point today about your concerns in relation to women and children and Malaysia, they might be encouraged to get on the boats. Isn’t that not the argument as well with TPVs, that if you don’t allow family reunions, that there will be an incentive for women and children to get on the boats if TPVs are reinstated?

 

TONY ABBOTT:

Well the whole point of temporary protection visas is to deny the people smugglers a product to sell because what the people smugglers are selling is permanent residency in Australia and regrettably, since this government has come into power, they’ve had that product to sell. Now, temporary protection visas are a critically important part of any lasting solution to people smuggling, any true stopping of the boats, because it does deny the prize to the people smugglers’ customers.

 

SCOTT MORRISON:

Can I just add to that particularly, I mean in the last six years of the Howard Government, less than 300 people turned up, how many hundreds of women and children did not get on boats over those six years, because of those measures being in place, no one will ever know. But I think that speaks to their worth.

 

QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, has Rob Oakeshott indicated that he would accept Mr Morrison’s amendments given the commitment for the expansion of the refugee intake?

 

Well these issues are mostly being handled, as you can appreciate, by my colleague Judi Moylan who, as you know, is very passionate on these subjects. I mean Judi Moylan has, to her great credit, over many, many years been a passionate advocate for a fair deal for refugees and humanitarian entrants into Australia. So I’ll let others speak on the precise question that you’ve put to me, Dennis, but I just want to make it crystal clear that we have been prepared to move, we have been prepared in good faith to offer this concession to people in order to get effective legislation, not just through the House of Representatives but through the Parliament because as far as we humanly can, from Opposition, we want to be a contributor to a stronger Australia. I keep talking about hope, reward and opportunity for Australians, much easier to deliver that in government, but even from Opposition we want to do what we can and this offers a potential solution in a way that the Oakeshott bill, unamended, doesn’t.

Thank you.

 

[ends]