Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Deakin for his question. We know that the honourable member for Deakin has a very genuine and ongoing concern about the plight of the world’s refugees. Today being World Refugee Day it is appropriate to acknowledge that 8½ million refugees in the world today are living in some of the most appalling circumstances. What pleases me is that the figure has significantly declined and is at its lowest level since the early 1980s.

If you look to see why that is the case, you find it is because many have been able to return home; that in many places there has been effective local integration; and that some countries, such as Australia, play a part in resettling those who have no prospect of returning home and are in the most difficult of circumstances. It can also be attributed to Australian policies—the decisive action taken by governments to ensure that the most despicable regimes, of the sort that we have seen in Afghanistan and Iraq, have been removed. Such circumstances have meant that fewer people have had to flee.

Australia continues to punch above its weight in resettling refugees and is consistently among the top three countries, along with the United States and Canada. This year some 13,800 refugee and humanitarian places will be offered. That is almost double the number that were being resettled from offshore in 1999-2000.

One of the reasons that we are able to do this is that offshore detention, which has been referred to by members opposite, as part of our border protection measures has been able to work and has worked. The government’s record shows that we have been able to give genuine refugees assistance and, in appropriate cases, resettlement, but we have also been able to give more support to the refugees who are in greatest need. It is in that context that we on this side of the House have a very longstanding commitment to helping refugees.

I would contrast it, as I have been asked by members opposite, with the approach that they seem to want to take to these issues today. Contrary to the position that the Leader of the Opposition was advocating back in 2001, when a bipartisan approach was sought, the Labor Party want to play politics with this issue now. That is what they are about.

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