Russell Broadbent says impassioned article by the Guardian’s David Marr has inspired him to call for refugees to be brought to mainland once US deal ends

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The Victorian Liberal moderate Russell Broadbent has called for “genuine refugees” in offshore detention to be settled permanently on the Australian mainland once the US resettlement deal has run its course.



Broadbent signalled his intention to break ranks with government policy in a short speech to parliament just before question time on Wednesday, saying it was “time for this parliament to act to resolve the situation on Manus and Nauru”.

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The veteran Liberal, who has campaigned within the Liberal party and across party lines on behalf of asylum seekers, referenced a column from Guardian Australia’s David Marr as the prompt for him to call for a permanent resolution.

In his speech, Broadbent quoted the opening of Marr’s piece, which was published last week: “If only Christians fought like this for refugees. Imagine if the Coalition’s big men of faith threatened to tear down their own government unless it brings home the wretches we’ve imprisoned in the Pacific. Surely there couldn’t be a greater service for Christ?”

Broadbent told parliament: “David Marr can be pretty hard when he writes. It comes out of his life experience, and I accept that.”

As a former member once said, there’s a rubbish bin there, and it smells, and you can’t walk past it Russell Broadbent

The Liberal MP said he could not ignore the challenge he laid down. “I couldn’t walk past it. Eventually you come to a place in your time – as a former member once said – there’s a rubbish bin there, and it smells, and you can’t walk past it.

“Enough. El Shaddai. Enough.”

Broadbent said he was “happy” with the progress of the US refugee resettlement deal but once that process had concluded it was time for the parliament to act to ensure people were not subject to indefinite detention.

The speech was greeted with a round of applause by MPs in the chamber.

Asked after the speech what he meant by parliamentary action to resolve the situation on Nauru and Manus, Broadbent told Guardian Australia: “It means the Australian parliament should act to resolve the situation of people in long-term offshore detention.”

“Those who are genuine refugees should be brought home to Australia,” he said. “Those who aren’t genuine refugees – we need to work hard to find another place for them.”

The Coalition’s punitive policy forbids boat arrivals ever being settled on the Australian mainland. Its opponents say people now in offshore immigration centres are subject to indefinite detention despite the fact they have broken no laws.

The offshore detention centres have attracted condemnation in Australia and internationally for alleged human rights abuses.

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Broadbent’s decision to break ranks with government policy follows comments by Paris Aristotle, a member of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers that proposed Australia restart offshore processing of boat-borne asylum seekers.

Aristotle told an audience in Sydney on Tuesday night: “The detention centres are terrible, I’ve been opposed to indefinite mandatory detention for years, the impact is awful for people – but really what crushes people is an absence of hope and an absence of connection.”

He said current arrangements did not deter asylum seekers from boarding boats, and the regime that had been implemented did not reflect the recommendations the expert panel had made to the Gillard government.