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Thursday, 28 June 2012
Page: 4821

Second Reading

Debate resumed on the motion:

That this bill be now read a second time.

to which the following amendment was moved:

At the end of the motion, add:

   but the Senate:

      (a)   calls on the Government to take immediate action to:

         (i)   provide safe pathways for refugees to discourage people taking life threatening journeys;

         (ii)   increase Australia’s humanitarian intake from 13,750 to 20,000, including additional places to be immediately allocated to targeted resettlement of 1,000 people from Indonesia and 4,000 people from Malaysia;

         (iii)   immediately increase funding to United Nations High Commission for Refugees by $10 million to boost the capacity of Refugee Status Determination assessments in Malaysia and Indonesia;

         (iv)   establish a multi-party committee, charged with developing a framework for a long-term regional solution which is underpinned by the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the related 1967 Protocol;

         (v)   enter urgent discussions between Australia and Indonesia to address the critical need for cooperation and effectiveness of intelligence sharing and resourcing between Australia and Indonesia in order to save lives at sea;

         (vi)   codify Australia's Safety of Life at Sea Convention 1974 obligations across all relevant government agencies and increase Australia's rescue capacity in Australia's northern waters; and

   (b)   resolves that a message be sent to the House of Representatives immediately to acquaint it with this resolution.