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Indi MP Cathy McGowan has refused to support the Federal Government’s plan to impose a lifetime ban on boat-arriving refugees and asylum seekers seeking entry into Australia, slamming it as poor legislation. Her speech in the House of Representatives this week was interrupted by a government member, who said “it works”, to which Ms McGowan replied: “It works? Yeah, murdering people works”. Ms McGowan said she decided to speak out following an overwhelming response from across the North East, with more than 100 constituents contacting her office to voice their opposition to the ban. “Its focus is to create a deterrent and a punishment for third parties without a balance of reward, rehabilitation, or any long-term humanitarian approach,” she said. Ms McGowan mentioned Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, and stressed her opposition to the policy had come from her judgement and Indi’s constituents, not the Greens or Labor.

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