Immigration minister Peter Dutton and his predecessor, Scott Morrison, have been unfairly criticised for lacking compassion, according to prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
During Sunday's announcement of the landmark "one-off deal" that would see refugees on Nauru and Manus Island sent to the US, Turnbull said Dutton and Morrison got a rough deal from the public.
I want to note too, that Peter Dutton and indeed his predecessor Scott Morrison have suffered from constant, often-vicious attacks, claims that they lack compassion. That they lack a heart.
The reality is that our ability to offer sanctuary to refugees who come to Australia through orderly methods ... is only there because of the strength of character of Peter Dutton, his predecessor Scott Morrison and the remarkable men and women that Peter leads.
Dutton and Morrison have been heavily criticised by large sections of the Australian and international community for some aspects of the country's immigration portfolio since 2013.
Here's a not entirely comprehensive list of things Morrison and Dutton have been criticised for.
– Scott Morrison wrongly accused Save the Children workers of "coaching" refugees to self-harm.
– Scott Morrison was forced to make a secret compensation deal with the workers for his accusations.
– Scott Morrison then refused to apologise for the accusations.
– Scott Morrison refused to reveal whether Australia paid people smugglers with large cash bribes.
– Scott Morrison appeared in a video telling asylum-seekers on Manus Island and Nauru to go home.
– Scott Morrison clashed with the Human Rights Commission, justifying children in detention as a cost of stopping the boats.
– Scott Morrison accused Labor of being "surrender monkeys" after Tamil asylum-seekers were kept at sea for a month before being returned to India.
– Peter Dutton said "illiterate and innumerate" refugees were coming to Australia, languishing on welfare AND taking local jobs.
- Peter Dutton called a prominent female journalist a "mad fucking witch" after she revealed details of a minister's inappropriate conduct towards a female public servant.
- Peter Dutton was caught on a mic joking about Pacific Island nations being destroyed by rising sea levels.
– Peter Dutton called a female senator "attention-seeking" after it was revealed she was spied on by guards on Nauru.
– Peter Dutton said pregnant women on Nauru and Manus Island will not be brought here, accusing them of trying to blackmail their way here and saying Australia would "not be taken for mugs".