4th Dec 2019, 11:05 AM – Senate Migration Amendment (Repairing Medical Transfers) Bill 2019 - Second Reading - Negotiations with Senator Lambie

The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion "That this bill be now read a second time." Reading a bill for a second time is the same as agreeing with the main idea of the bill. The amendment was introduced by ACT Senator Katy Gallagher (Labor).

Amendment text

At the end of the motion add:

", and further consideration of the bill be made an order of the day for the first sitting day after the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs has laid on the table all documents relating to negotiations between the Government and Senator Jacqui Lambie in relation to this bill".

What is the bill's the main idea?

According to the bills digest:

The purpose of the Migration Amendment (Repairing Medical Transfers) Bill 2019 (the Bill) is to amend the Migration Act 1958 to repeal the provisions inserted by Schedule 6 of the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Act 2019. These provisions (commonly referred to as the medical transfer, or medevac, provisions) established a framework for the transfer of transitory persons from regional processing countries to Australia for the purpose of medical treatment or assessment. The Bill also amends the Migration Act to allow for the removal of people brought to Australia under the medical transfer provisions back to a regional processing country once they no longer need to be in Australia.