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Monday, 12 September 2011
Page: 9617

Asylum Seekers

Mr MORRISON (Cook) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. At any stage of his discussions on his five-for-one people swap deal with Malaysia, did the minister request the Malaysian government to change their laws or ratify any international conventions to specifically provide protection to refugees and asylum seekers sent to Malaysia? Was any indication ever given that Malaysia would be prepared to change these laws before he signed Australia up to it?

Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) (15:01): Isn't it interesting: the more advice the opposition get that Malaysia is the most effective deterrent, the more they are determined to undermine it. I suspect the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Cook are worried that it will undermine their cheap slogan business model.

Mr Morrison: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order, on relevance. My question was: did the minister even bother to ask about protections?

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Trade and the member for Flinders! Their bonding experience must have gone very well last sitting week. They will sit there quietly. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, having made his preamble, will now respond to the question.

Mr BOWEN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. What we negotiated with the Malaysian government was a commitment to nonrefoulement, the fundamental principle of the refugee convention. What we negotiated is work rights for the people transferred. What we negotiated is that people will be treated with dignity and respect in accordance with human rights standards.

The member for Cook knows this because he went on a little fact-finding mission to Malaysia. He went on a little trip and took a little home video, which was very thoughtful. He stood outside a detention centre and said, 'This is where people will be sent.' Wrong. He said, 'People wouldn't have work rights.' Wrong. He was proven wrong on every single point. The negotiations resulted in the arrangement as announced and as outlined.

Mr Morrison: Did you ask them to sign the convention? Answer the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Cook has asked his question.

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Trade! The member for Fadden! The minister for immigration in response directly to the question.

Mr BOWEN: That was what was negotiated by the Australian government with the Malaysian government, in consultation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, despite all of Morrison's myths. That is what was negotiated with the government—those protections for the people transferred. I think the government was more successful than the member for Cook would have been in his negotiations with President Ahmadinejad on his swap agreement with Iran.

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Home Affairs and the member for Melbourne Ports are denying the member for Moreton the call.