Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

We always welcome questions from the member for Murray but even more do we welcome her interventions at the dispatch box. I say to those opposite who ask questions about the operation of our policy that, (1), it deals with the push factors; (2), it also deals with transit countries; and, (3), we are dealing with how we operate a policy in sending people back to Sri Lanka and other countries, people who do not meet the criteria laid down under the refugees convention.

Concerning our transit countries, can I also say this: our cooperation with the government of Malaysia—and I notice that this has not been the subject of any press commentary from those opposite because it is a further step forward—our cooperation with the government in Kuala Lumpur has resulted in the disruption of some 15 attempts of people smuggling involving roughly 550 people. We are very grateful for the cooperation of the government there.

Over the weekend, I was informed by Prime Minister Najib of Malaysia that we would continue to expand our cooperation dealing with people smuggling. Furthermore, for the information of the House, the Prime Minister of Malaysia informed me that the Malaysian government has now decided, for the first time, to criminalise people smuggling in that country. This again is a reflection of the work which is underway between us and the Malaysian government, as indeed it is underway with the Indonesian government as well.

Finally, when it goes to the actual success of government policy in interruptions, I say this: so far some 88 to 90 interruptions have occurred as a result of the direct cooperation between the Australian government, the Indonesian government, the Malaysian government and other governments within the region, interruptions which have involved some several thousands of individuals seeking to come to this country by the agency of people smugglers. We are dealing with one set of rolling operations after another, as you would normally do, as would any responsible government of Australia do. We are adhering to our obligations under international humanitarian law as laid down in the convention. We are maintaining a border protection policy with added resources and added investment in our maritime surveillance activities, at the same time working closely with our partners in the region. This is what governments have sought to do in the past and they will seek to do so in the future. It is what governments around the region are doing. It was also a challenge which confronted the previous government when they had some 250,000 boats come to this country carrying nearly 15,000 individuals. They were problems faced in the past, they are problems being faced now and they will be problems in the future. Our policy is a consistent policy; those opposite do not have a policy at all.

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