Summary

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The majority voted in favour of the main idea of the bill. In parliamentary jargon, they voted to read the bill for a second time and can now discuss the bill in more detail.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest:

The purpose of the Migration Amendment (Clarifying International Obligations for Removal) Bill 2021 (the Bill) is to amend the Migration Act 1958 to clarify that the Act does not authorise the removal of a person who is found to attract Australia’s protection obligations under international law. The Bill responds to two recent Federal Court decisions which found that section 197C of the Migration Act effectively overrides Australia’s international obligations not to return a person to a country where they face persecution or a real risk of significant harm (known as non-refoulement obligations). The Federal Court has found that currently, the Migration Act requires a person who is owed such obligations but is refused a protection visa, to either be removed from Australia or released from immigration detention.

The Bill also inserts an express requirement that Australia’s protection obligations be considered before a decision is made whether to grant or refuse a protection visa.

In a nutshell, this amendment will ensure that people can continue to be detained in immigration detention if they have been refused a protection visa but cannot be returned to their own countries of origin due to Australia's international obligations of non-refoulement.

Read more about this bill in the bills digest.

Votes Passed by a modest majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 0 Yes 9 No
Mehreen Faruqi NSW No
Sarah Hanson-Young SA No
Nick McKim Tasmania No
Janet Rice Victoria No
Rachel Siewert WA No
Jordon Steele-John WA No
Lidia Thorpe Victoria No
Larissa Waters Queensland No
Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania No
Australian Labor Party (12% turnout) 3 Yes 0 No
Raff Ciccone Victoria Yes
Patrick Dodson WA Yes
Kristina Keneally NSW Yes
Tim Ayres NSW Absent
Catryna Bilyk Tasmania Absent
Carol Brown Tasmania Absent
Kim Carr Victoria Absent
Anthony Chisholm Queensland Absent
Don Farrell SA Absent
Alex Gallacher SA Absent
Katy Gallagher ACT Absent
Nita Green Queensland Absent
Kimberley Kitching Victoria Absent
Jenny McAllister NSW Absent
Malarndirri McCarthy NT Absent
Deborah O'Neill NSW Absent
Helen Polley Tasmania Absent
Louise Pratt WA Absent
Tony Sheldon NSW Absent
Marielle Smith SA Absent
Glenn Sterle WA Absent
Anne Urquhart Tasmania Absent
Jess Walsh Victoria Absent
Murray Watt Queensland Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Stirling Griff SA Centre Alliance Absent
Sam McMahon NT Country Liberal Party Yes
Sue Lines WA Deputy President Absent
Rex Patrick SA Independent Yes
Jacqui Lambie Tasmania Jacqui Lambie Network Yes
Liberal National Party (100% turnout) 2 Yes 0 No
Matthew Canavan Queensland Yes
James McGrath Queensland Yes
Liberal Party (76% turnout) 22 Yes 0 No
Eric Abetz Tasmania Yes
Alex Antic SA Yes
Wendy Askew Tasmania Yes
Andrew Bragg NSW Yes
Slade Brockman WA Yes
Claire Chandler Tasmania Yes
Richard Colbeck Tasmania Yes
Jonathon Duniam Tasmania Yes
David Fawcett SA Yes
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW Yes
Sarah Henderson Victoria Yes
Hollie Hughes NSW Yes
Jane Hume Victoria Yes
Andrew McLachlan SA Yes
James Paterson Victoria Yes
Gerard Rennick Queensland Yes
Linda Reynolds WA Yes
Anne Ruston SA Yes
Ben Small WA Yes
Dean Smith WA Yes
Amanda Stoker Queensland Yes
David Van Victoria Yes
Simon Birmingham SA Absent
Michaelia Cash WA Absent
Jim Molan NSW Absent
Matt O'Sullivan WA Absent
Marise Payne NSW Absent
Paul Scarr Queensland Absent
Zed Seselja ACT Absent
National Party (67% turnout) 2 Yes 0 No
Perin Davey NSW Yes
Susan McDonald Queensland Yes
Bridget McKenzie Victoria Absent
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party (0% turnout) Absent
Pauline Hanson Queensland Absent
Malcolm Roberts Queensland Absent
Scott Ryan Victoria President Yes
Totals (55% turnout) 33 Yes – 9 No