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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Ben Doherty and Paul Karp

David Pocock says offshore asylum seekers ‘victims of our collective political failure’ as evacuation bill defeated

David Pocock
The Evacuation to Safety bill was defeated in the Senate by 24 votes to 12, with the Greens, David Pocock (pictured) and Lidia Thorpe in favour and the Coalition, Labor and One Nation opposed. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Independent senator David Pocock has spoken out against the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, arguing that for two decades Australia had denied them basic humanitarian rights.

Pocock, who made the comments in support of a proposed law to bring to Australia about 150 refugees and asylum seekers held offshore, said those remaining on Nauru and in Papua New Guinea were “victims of our collective political failure”.

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