Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kalgoorlie for his question and very strong commitment to the protection of Australia’s borders. Beyond the economic fundamentals for Australian families, the first priority of the Australian government, the Howard government in particular, is the protection and defence of Australia. There is no higher priority, of course, than the protection of our borders. That means the protection of our gas and other resource platforms; making sure that people do not come here unlawfully and steal our fish; dealing with the people smugglers and drug smugglers; and making sure that our exclusive economic zone is protected.

Last year in the budget, the Treasurer announced a $387 million increased investment for the protection of Australia’s borders. Border Protection Command, the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Customs, the Australian Federal Police and other agencies make a concerted and coordinated effort to protect our borders. Only last Sunday, a vessel with 200 kilograms of illegally caught Australian fish on board was intercepted and destroyed by the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Huon. Also, last year I requested the Chief of the Defence Force to strengthen the rules of engagement for the Royal Australian Navy. That means that they are now able to do a number of things, which range from firing across the bows with teargas towards foreign fishing vessels right through to directly firing upon those vessels—all of which have been used. In fact, in the last 12 months, we have had a 91 per cent reduction in sightings of foreign fishing vessels in Australia’s exclusive economic zone. This is an extraordinary tribute not only to the determination of the Howard government to protect our borders but to the men and women who do it on our behalf.

I am asked about alternative policies. The Australian Labor Party, for a number of years, has had a policy called Coastguard. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has coined it ‘coast guide’. It has had four iterations. Firstly, the Australian Federal Police and Defence have expressed very strong reservations about a so-called coastguard. On 30 January 2001, the then Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police told the public accounts committee of the parliament: ‘I would gain no comfort at all from those arrangements which would cause a division through the investigative focus in a very counterproductive way.’ The Department of Defence said this to the same inquiry—

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