A prominent human rights lawyer has compared major political parties in Australia to the Taliban.
Julian Burnside QC made the comparison as he endorsed the re-election of Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young as an alternative voice on refugees.
Speaking to reporters alongside Senator Hanson-Young in Adelaide, Burnside said it was the first time in his life he had publicly supported a political party.
According to the Courier Mail, he said that he was supporting a party for the first time as this is the first time in Australia's history that both major parties have promised to outdo each other in cruelty to one group of human beings.
His comments came as Young launched the Greens' refugee policy.
She said analysis from the parliamentary budget office showed taxpayers could save 3.2 billion dollars if all offshore detentions centres were shut down, as well as some onshore centres, the report said.
She said that the money could instead be used to give asylum seekers work rights so they could contribute to the economy and the community, it added.
