Senator LAMBIE (Tasmania) (12:45): I want to talk about the Murugappan family from Biloela. Before I start, let me say this: I'm not a bleeding heart. The courts have decided that Priya and Nades aren't owed protection as refugees. They fled a civil war; that's no longer a civil war. Wrongly or rightly, that's what our system has found. They came to Australia without valid visas. They claimed asylum and were found not to be owed asylum, so they're without valid visas. If their youngest daughter isn't granted protection, none of the people in the family will have a legal claim to stay in Australia. That's what the law says, in black and white. The letter of the law is crystal clear here. But there's a part of that law that allows the minister for immigration to use his or her discretion when it comes to decisions like this. It's a power that, when there's a clash between what the law says and what common sense would tell you, the minister's got the chance to use some common sense. Surely now is one of those times, because, if you stick to the absolute letter of the law, you're threatening to send two little kids home to a country they've never been to. You're deporting two little kids from a country they've lived in all their lives to a country they've never even seen and telling them they're home. That's what the law would have you do. I had to resign from parliament in 2017 because I was found to have dual citizenship with Scotland. I've never been to Scotland, and, if you asked me to shut up shop here in Australia, ship off and live in Scotland and never come back, I'd be lost. I wouldn't know where to start. I'd feel like what was being asked of me wasn't fair. Here's a country I've lived in all my life, I've paid my taxes in, I've grown up in; I've served it in uniform and I've represented my state in its federal parliament, and now that country is telling me to go home—home to a country I've never called home. It wasn't my choice where my dad was born. For those two girls, it wasn't their choice either. You don't choose your parents. Those girls didn't choose their parents, and I don't know how you can look those two girls in the eye and say, 'Hey, sorry, sweethearts. It's nothing personal, it's not your fault, but there's no home here for you.' Priya and Nades are not owed our protection, but just because we don't owe them this little bit of mercy doesn't mean we can't offer it to them. When you give something away and it's not out of obligation, that's what you call generosity. That's the Australian way. We have the ability to be extremely generous here, not because we have to—just because it's the decent thing, it's the decent Australian thing, to do. And it's not going to restart the people-smuggling trade. That is absolute rubbish! God, if I hear that once more, look out! What kind of message are we frightened of sending—that, if we show a little bit of kindness, a little bit of the Australian way, to this family, then other people will look at that and go, 'I'll sign up for the same'? They'll all make the life-threatening trip across the ocean in a sinking boat. They'll all arrive in Australia, try and put down some roots, get put in detention and get put in detention in another place. They'll all sign up to be left there until their own child's blood turns to poison in their veins. Even if you believed that, even if all that were true and people were signing up to a deal just like that in droves, they'd still have to invent a time machine, or bring in Doctor Who and the TARDIS, and come here before 2013! An honourable senator interjecting— Senator LAMBIE: I know; it annoys me—because since then we've had turn-backs, we've had offshore detention, we've had Operation Sovereign Borders, and it stopped the boats. The minister for immigration has announced that he's letting the Tamil family reunite in Perth under community detention. Good on him for doing that. But he's drawn the line at allowing them the chance for permanent resettlement. He's got the power, because parliament's given him the power, and he won't use it. He is saying he can't ever use it—full stop—because, if he does, it will create an incentive for people smugglers to start up again. I don't know what planet this minister is on but he may want to get some national security briefings because obviously he has been missing in action. Either that or he has no life experience and has no idea what he is yapping on about; I will be brutally honest there. Your power, Minister, is sitting there and is unable to be used. It creates false hope for families, it's unnecessary and by the way—here is a news press release for you—it is redundant. I would suggest you do something about that, Minister. I would suggest you use it or lose it, I reckon. The minister has told us that he can't use it—fine. If he doesn't want to use that power, if he doesn't have the courage to use it because he wants to play a noddy and think that's going to give him points out there for an election, once again, I don't know where you live, Minister, but you ain't living in the real world. So, in saying that, if you are not going to use that power, Minister, I have no problem in putting up an amendment to the Migration Act to take that power off you and trying my luck in here, just to see whether or not I can remove it. So either show some courage and show some mercy on these two young ladies and their family or try my patience because that is where we are at. I can assure you this act to these young ladies and their family would have to be one of the most un-Godliest things I am yet to see in this parliament. Show some mercy. Show some courage. You want to make a mark in this place and show some heart and show what Australia is really about? You want to show some values of our upbringing here? You have the perfect opportunity to make your mark right now. You have the perfect opportunity to do what is the right thing to do because, let's be honest, it is the right thing to do here. You cannot keep going around this circle. You have no other choice. I mean, you can keep going if you like and you can look the worst in the world and you can continue to do that. Good luck with that. But while you are doing that, I want you to think about those two girls, who have spent nearly every day of their lives in detention so far. I want you to think of the harm you have already brought those two ladies before they have even basically started school. You have a good think about that. Let me know how your conscience goes with that. I want you to stand in front of me and tell me how your conscience is next time you see me because, if you don't want to tell me, I intend on asking you. We will see who wins that debate one-on-one. Let's see how much courage you really do have. Let's see. But right now, if you are not going to use that power and use it as it should be used—for good or bad—I'm going to come after you and I'm going to try and take that power off you. I will try it.