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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2019/feb/12/morrison-shorten-coalition-labor-medical-evacuation-bill-kerryn-phelps-politics-live
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| Government loses 'de facto confidence' vote as amended refugee medevac bill passes – politics live | Government loses 'de facto confidence' vote as amended refugee medevac bill passes – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Scott Morrison: | |
| What happened in the parliament tonight was proof positive that Bill Shorten and the Labor Party do not have the mettle, do not have what is required and do not understand what is necessary to ensure that Australia’s border protection framework and broader national security interests can be managed by the Labor Party. | |
| The Labor Party have already said that if they are elected that they will return to the policy of providing permanent visas, permanent visas that lead to citizenship for people who arrive or enter Australia illegally. That is the first tranche of the border protection framework that we put in place in 2013. | |
| They have said that they will abolish that and they will restore providing permanent visas to people who illegally enter Australia. | |
| Tonight - and I should say last year - the Labor Party voted on that occasion, in the Senate, without even taking any advice when it came to the national security implications to abolish offshore processing as we know it. | |
| This is the second tranche of the border protection regime that we have put in place. | |
| Now the Labor Party may want to think that what they’ve done tonight doesn’t do that and it only demonstrates their lack of understanding about these issues. The Labor Party have shown Australia tonight that they cannot be trusted on the second of those core planks of the border protection framework that have been so successful in stopping the deaths, getting the children off Nauru, getting children out of detention, ensuring that we could restore certainty and stability to our refugee and humanitarian intake. | |
| So when Bill Shorten tells you and the Labor Party tells you that they can be trusted to turn back boats where it’s safe to do so, I think the Australian people got their answer tonight. He can’t be trusted to do that either. The Labor Party and the Liberal and National parties are not on the same page when it comes to border protection. | |
| There is no bipartisanship on this issue. The Labor Party have clearly demonstrated that under Bill Shorten’s leadership. They want to go a different path and what we saw tonight was that, yet again, the Labor Party have failed to learn their lessons of failure when they have had responsibility for border protection in this country. | |
| They have demonstrated, yet again, that they just don’t understand how to protect Australia’s borders. The importance of the outcome of protecting those borders is to ensure we avoid the human carnage of what we saw last time Labor had this opportunity. | |
| The prime minister says what happened tonight was “proof positive” the Labor party did not “have the mettle” to lead the nation. | |
| Historic moment today, as parl votes to ensure innocent people on Manus/Nauru get the healthcare they need, when they need it. Pleasing to see Labor come back to the negotiating table after Shorten buckled under conservative pressure. Huge win for human rights! #medivac #auspol | |
| The timing of the bill returning to the Senate is most likely to be tomorrow morning. | |
| The Senate adjourns in about 20 minutes, so it won’t be tonight (most likely) | |
| The chamber comes back at 9.30 tomorrow morning. That is when the fun will begin. | |
| Asked if Labor will rule out a vote of no confidence, given the loss of the vote, Tony Burke says “no opposition would ever rule that out”. | |
| He says the key to whether the prime minister considers this a de facto of no confidence, he would have to decide if it was an issue of “vital importance”. | |
| Burke said it would be “extraordinary and without precedent” for a government to withhold royal assent – ie, not taking it to the Governor-General. | |
| He indicates that would be a trigger for no confidence | |
| Tony Burke says the government pulled “an appalling act” and a “cheap stunt” to stop the bill, but that Tony Smith “to his credit”, “did his job” and made sure all the members had all the information they needed to make their decision. | |
| Bill Shorten is in a shadow cabinet meeting, for those wondering, why he is not the one fronting the cameras here. | |
| Anthony Albanese says “so many Australians have concerns with what is being done in their name” to people under Australia’s care. | |
| He says Labor listened to the advice and were prepared to compromise to make sure that the final outcome met all the requirements of border security and more compassion. | |
| And over in the Senate Tim Storer, who also played an instrumental role in getting this bill to this point, had this to say: | |
| Sick people in our care are now one step closer to get the quality of medical treatment they need, without jeopardising our borders. | |
| I am pleased to have been part of a process which has seen the Australian parliament at its best. | |
| None of those involved in the discussions which led to the amendments carried by theHouse of Representatives got everything they wanted. | |
| But, members of a number of parties, as well as independents, like myself, came together to achieve a result which should help sick people on Nauru and in PNG get the medical attention that we would expect for ourselves. | |
| These amendments would not have been necessary had the government not tried to use the courts to stop sick people coming to Australia for treatment. | |
| These amendments should bring this heartless practice to an end. | |
| Despite the government’s efforts, more than 800 sick people have been brought to Australia for treatment, either by court order or by application to the court, without the people smuggling trade resuming. | |
| There is no reason to believe these amendments will change that. | |
| The government should accept the decision of the majority of members of the House of | |
| Representatives and the Senate – and allow the amendments through the upper house as quickly as possible. | |
| The people of Australia will not thank them for any attempts to delay this considered and humane measure. | |
| Behind the scenes were the human rights and refugee advocates. | |
| Here is what they had to say (as per their joint statement) | |
| Hugh de Kretser, Executive Director with the Human Rights Law Centre: | |
| Today we saw politics at its best with MPs across the floor working together to ensure a humane solution. The current medical transfer system is broken. People needing urgent medical assistance have severely deteriorated and even died. Notably, the coroner found that the death of young man Hamid Khazaei was caused by medical failure and delays. We need to stop risking lives. We now call on the Senate to pass this bill as soon as possible. | |
| Kelly Nicholls, Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) spokesperson: | |
| The safety of lives must always come first. Doctors have been ignored for too long. People have died as a result. Pregnant women with complications have had to wait dangerously long to receive the treatment they need. Rape survivors have to had to have traumatic late-term abortions due to government blocks. This bill changes the response to medical emergencies in offshore detention on Manus Island and Nauru. | |
| Kon Karapanagiotidis, CEO, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre: | |
| Today is a landmark day. It is a victory for the national conscious of our nation and the triumph of compassion over the politics of fear and cruelty. Finally, the rights of people that we promised to protect and care for, while seeking sanctuary have been realised today. | |
| Shen Narayanasamy, Human Rights Director with GetUp: | |
| This is a watershed moment in Australian political history – because the 15-year trajectory of cruelty towards asylum seekers has ended. We thank the millions of people across this country who have fought so long for this victory and remember those people who have died in our name, that this bill would have saved. | |
| Brad Chilcott, Founder, Welcoming Australia: | |
| This bill simply ensures that people who need medical treatment get the care they need in order to save lives and alleviate suffering. The rest is political chicanery and fear-mongering. | |
| We congratulate those in the Labor, Greens and on the crossbench who have worked together to find consensus and call on the government to join them by putting human lives above any political considerations and allow this bill to swiftly pass through the Senate. | |
| Andrew Wilkie has put out a statement: | |
| The passing of the medical transfers bill is wonderful news for sick asylum seekers and refugees incarcerated in Nauru and on Manus Island. While offshore processing remains systemically cruel and illegal, at least this reform goes some genuine way to limit the cruelty and provide an alternative pathway to the court system. | |
| Today’s vote is also a triumph for our democratic system because the parliament worked as it should. A majority of members represented their communities and worked cooperatively in the public interest. | |
| But this is just the beginning. The inhumanity and illegality will only ever be fully remedied when offshore processing is abolished, and when we’ve put an end to the other diabolical elements of Labor and Liberal policy like mandatory detention, towbacks and temporary visas. | |
| Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke have called a press conference for 6.45pm. | |
| Scott Morrison has called one for 7pm. | |
| I have needed to go to the bathroom since 11am, but no one cares about that. | |
| This is what Anne Twomey was referring to | |
| There's been some commentary that this is the first time a government has lost a legislative vote in the House since 1929. This is not the case - the Fadden government lost a vote on a Budget amendment in 1941. More: https://t.co/zBriSt99qD | |
| Which is why the commentary has been around a “substantive” legislative vote. Which was the Stanley Bruce government’s in 1929. | |
| So, to be clear – the Fadden government lost a budget amendment, which was seen as a de facto no confidence motion (lost control of finances) in 1941 and the Bruce government lost a vote to give it more power over industrial disputes, a substantive piece of legislation in 1929. | |
| Both went to an election. | |
| Again, Scott Morrison has said he will not do that. | |
| People smugglers and their customers are the only winners from Labor’s weakening of our border protection policies because ample medical treatment offshore and onshore was already available. Under Labor, it’s get on a boat, get to Nauru, get sick and get to Australia | People smugglers and their customers are the only winners from Labor’s weakening of our border protection policies because ample medical treatment offshore and onshore was already available. Under Labor, it’s get on a boat, get to Nauru, get sick and get to Australia |
| Narrator: It wasn’t. | Narrator: It wasn’t. |
| As seen by Mike Bowers: | As seen by Mike Bowers: |