Sky News PM Agenda with David Speers
4 December 2014
5.35pm
E & OE
Subject: Passage of Migration Bill through the Senate
SPEERS:
The Government does have the numbers secured for its Migration Bill to bring back Temporary Protection Visas to pass. The vote hasn’t happened yet it may not happen until later tonight or indeed early tomorrow morning, probably late tonight though. With Ricky Muir’s support, Sky News understands, with the Palmer United Party, which will give the Government the six of eight crossbench votes it needs to get this through the Senate.
With me now is the Manager of Government Business in the Senate and the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Mitch Fifield. Thanks for joining us. Can I just start by asking, are you able to confirm that that the Government does now have the numbers locked in for this Bill?
FIFIELD:
David we’re optimistic. But one thing is for certain in the Australian Senate you only count something as in your corner once the vote has actually happened. But I’ve got to say, we’ve had very good and constructive discussions with the crossbenchers. And I’ve got to say, contrary to what you’ll hear from some commentators, they’ve been terrific to deal with. We’re optimistic that this legislation will go through.
SPEERS:
So you’ve spoken to the crossbenchers today, including Ricky Muir?
FIFIELD:
Scott Morrison has been in contact with each of the crossbenchers. I’ve been talking to the crossbenchers, particularly on procedural arrangements in the Senate. The vote happens when the vote happens, but the signs are good.
SPEERS:
So when will the vote actually happen? Are you any clearer on that than I am?
FIFIELD:
The motion which went through the Senate sees the Senate sitting until the Migration Bill is dealt with. We will probably, however, if things are still unresolved at 11:00 tonight, suspend the Senate and resume at 9:00 tomorrow. It may well be that we reach a conclusion tonight, but the Senate is master of its own destiny, so we’re just going to have to wait and see.
SPEERS:
So what’s holding up things at the moment? Is Labor filibustering is that what you’re suggesting ahead of the vote? What’s going to drag it out here tonight?
FIFIELD:
The Australian Labor Party are filibustering. They’re stacking the speakers list. They’re trying to use every procedural manoeuvre possible to try to stop this Bill coming to a vote. And sadly that’s been typical of the Australian Labor Party.
SPEERS:
To be fair though, you guys did it in Opposition. You’ve even done it in Government just earlier this week when wanting to avoid getting to that higher education vote while you were still trying to get the numbers.
FIFIELD:
When, as the Government of the day, you don’t have the numbers in your own right in a chamber in the Senate in this case management of the chamber and management of legislation is a shared responsibility of all Senators.
Labor are being obstructionist at all stages. I’ve got to say, when we were in Opposition, we were much more cooperative. We did recognise that there was a national interest to pursue, that there was legislation that the chamber agreed upon.
And we’re even seeing the Labor Party filibustering legislation that they themselves agree upon. In fact, one Labor Senator said to me, ‘look, just because we happen to support a piece of legislation, don’t think we’ve got any obligation to make life easy for you.’ That’s absurd when it comes to legislation that Labor themselves support, and we’ve seen that. We know that Labor are blocking 28 odd billion dollars worth of savings measures, including $5 billion that they themselves proposed. So this is a particularly obstructionist Opposition.
SPEERS:
That certainly would be ridiculous if it’s a piece of legislation that they’re supporting, but this is a piece of legislation that we know Labor is very much opposed to, the Greens as well. The bringing back of Temporary Protection Visas, the creation of Safe Haven Enterprise Visas. Can I ask you, and I know this isn’t your portfolio area, but can I ask you what is the point, the overarching point, of putting these people on Temporary Protection Visas rather than permanent visas? when it’s got nothing to do with sending a signal, because anyone else who tries to come to Australia automatically goes offshore, not to Australia?
FIFIELD:
I think Temporary Protection Visas, or as they’re sometimes called safe haven visas, are part of the range of measures that deny people smugglers a product to sell. Temporary Protection Visas essentially say that if you might be someone who is genuinely a refugee, you have the opportunity to be in a place of safety until circumstances change. So it is an important part of the effort to take away a product for people smugglers to sell.
SPEERS:
Okay. So just finally Mitch Fifield, we will get a vote tonight unless it gets to 11:00, then you’ll come back in the morning?
FIFIELD:
That’s right, it’s tonight or tomorrow. I think what people probably don’t always appreciate is that the House of Representatives is a bit like a waterfall. You put something at the top, you know it’s going to come out down the bottom. The Senate is more like a long, meandering river with currents and eddies and the odd billabong along the way. So the passage is less predictable. But if the Australian Labor Party were a little more responsible, then we could see resolution on issues quicker.
But I should mention that in this Parliament we’ve actually got 140 pieces of legislation through the Senate. So we are working methodically in the Senate as a Government, and we are getting results. And you’d shoot me if I didn’t mention that we have abolished the carbon tax. We have abolished the Minerals Resources Rent Tax.
SPEERS:
I won’t shoot you Mitch. But we have heard that a few times.
FIFIELD:
That’s right. So we are getting good results in the Senate despite Labor’s intransigence.
SPEERS:
And I like your analogy, particularly after the waterfall in the roof of the House of Reps today during Question Time.
FIFIELD:
We’ve got water on our minds!
SPEERS:
You do! Thank you very much for that and we hope you’re not there all night tonight in the Senate. We’ll keep our eyes on it. Thanks for joining us.
ENDS
Media contact: Lydia Paterson | 0409 792 081 | lydia.paterson@dss.gov.au