Omer IbrahimIBRAHIM OMER (Labour): I rise to take this short call on this very pressing issue. I just heard Erica and other MPs from the other side of the House just shouting and shouting. We've heard a lot of emotional pleas. A few years ago when the world was having the worst ever refugee crisis—71 million displaced refugees—we rallied and rallied and rallied and cried. I was one of the people who rallied to the steps of Parliament talking and pleading to the Government to increase the quota by a few hundred. Guess what? None of them even came out and addressed us.But in saying that I'm not saying this to take away from the migrant issues. Today we have heard from migrants from the speakers and from families who have been separated and the stories are heartbreaking. No one can deny that—no one can dispute that. But I just want to say anyone in doubt of this Government's commitment towards migrants' and refugees' plights and issues is utterly wrong because the track record speaks for itself. My colleagues and myself in our select committee every day we discuss this with our Minister who is actually working hard to make a difference to change things.In March 2020 we needed to go into the lockdown—hard lockdown—with one thing in mind: that we were just saving lives; nothing more nothing less. Because of those measures and steps we are today living like humans. The fact that my brothers and sisters from migrant communities can come and that the protests and sit-downs are here today is because of those steps and decisions that we made. Last year this time March 2020 the number of infections and deaths all over the world was about a few hundred thousand; a year on today as of today 160 million infections 3.3 million deaths. Just in the last 24 hours 742000 infections and 13500 deaths. We all know that the actual number is higher than this; it's just a lot of countries don't have proper testing kits. This is the sombre reality of this virus. It's still out there. It's killing people; it's infecting people.The measures that we have taken are the only thing that's keeping us safe and also keeping our health system from being overwhelmed—and that is our borders. This is how at the end of the day there is the light at the end of the tunnel. We have seen the Minister speaking about opening to refugees reuniting families. As we speak today in the next few months there are going to be about 750 to 1000 refugees who will be coming to this country. Since March 2020 no single refugee came into this country. Some of them—a lot of them actually—being accepted by New Zealand are in war zones—women vulnerable children. But the reality with this virus meant that none of those people could come to this country.I've heard from the speakers talking about how they are unappreciated they are unliked—that no one wants them in this country that this Government doesn't want them in this country. I just want to tell you that's not true. You are loved you are valued you are appreciated. You are a big part of our recovery plan that we are setting out. Please please don't listen to people there who are politicising this issue. This is not about politics. These are real people's lives. We should not play with their emotions. We should not play with their hearts. These are real lives real people. I will just leave it there Madam Speaker and thank you.