Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

They are very touchy on this topic, and they should be touchy on this subject because the costs and the appropriation sought in this bill speak for themselves. They speak of manifest failure. They speak of a government that simply cannot admit the truth of its own failures.

I am going to go back to the issue of the Pacific solution and at the end of my remarks I will also seek leave to table a Senate question of February 2002 that was answered on notice. The answer goes into precise detail of the cost of the Pacific solution. It was part of a report by Senator Cook into these matters some years ago. It shows that the establishment and provision of infrastructure costs at Nauru and Manus Island—the Pacific solution—was a grand total of $20 million. Northam is costing eight times that much.

I have come into this place again today to talk about the failures of this government. I have talked about the cost of the failures of this government. The government refuses to answer to the costs that they have incurred and continue to seek from the Australian people on these matters. This opposition and this shadow minister will not shirk from continuing to hold this government to account on these matters.

I will finish on this remark: one of the reasons we have such a big problem in our detention network—over 6,300 people—is the asylum freeze introduced by this government against Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum seekers and the suspension of their claims. If the government wants to look at a discriminatory policy on immigration, this is the only one I am aware of that has been introduced into this parliament, and it was by this government.

I seek leave to table the documents.

Leave granted.

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