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

Thank you for the opportunity to speak again on this matter. There are other members who wish to contribute to this important debate who will continue it. I concur with the Leader of the Opposition's description of the debate we are having because this is the debate we have been having now for some time, outside and inside this place. There will soon be an opportunity to resolve these matters, I trust, but I would add a couple of things to those that have already been said.

The minister made reference to a series of policies of the coalition. In particular, he referred to the issue of Indonesia. There is no doubt that Indonesia is a critical partner, as are the countries throughout our region, in addressing these horrible activities. The coalition stands strongly by regional measures to address this issue—of course we do, Prime Minister, through you, Madam Deputy Speaker Burke. Of course we support regional measures. We had regional measures in place when we were in government and those regional measures—most specifically, the Bali process of which the member for Lyne reminds us in this bill—had countries working together to address this problem.

The focus of the Bali process, when it was established, was border protection initiatives and matters of cooperation in policing activities, intelligence, interception and matters of that nature. They are things that I know the government supports. This is an area where there is very strong agreement when it comes to interception, interdiction, cooperation at sea and things of that nature. I note the Minister for Home Affairs is in the middle of handling another crisis of this kind—and our thoughts are with him as he does so. The process of preventing boats leaving Indonesia means that people remain in Indonesia. Our policy of seeking to intercept boats and return people to Indonesia is the same as stopping people from leaving Indonesia. We believe the best thing you can do in this area is make sure that no-one ever has a reason to get on a plane and fly to Indonesia or Malaysia in the first place. The next best thing is to make sure they never leave Indonesia in a boat. Last Sunday, if that boat had not left those shores, that tragedy would not have happened. We all understand that.

It is important that those who might think that by getting on a vessel they will find themselves getting to Australia need to know that that is not an outcome they can be certain of, and it should not be that the most horrific and tragic reasons are the reasons they come to that view. We have put forward measures that seek to address these matters that are happening at sea. We have long stood for them. The member for Berowra spoke earlier in this debate. He knows better than anyone in this place the moral burden that is carried by a minister. I am sure that the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is equally aware of it. The member for Wentworth reflected on this, and I am sure it is true that the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and I do not go one day where we do not examine our consciences on this issue. You cannot but do that in a debate where there is a moral consequence and burden carried by every single decision made, either to strengthen borders or weaken them.

I think we all want to strengthen those borders, and there is an opportunity in this parliament today to pass an amendment that will enable, with the government's support, this bill—the bill put forward by the member for Lyne—to pass. There is an opportunity for the member for Lyne to support this amendment today that will see the bill that he has brought into this place supported by members of this House and, with the government's support, supported by those in the other place. We can leave this place this night with a piece of law that strengthens the government's arm against the evil of people smuggling. That is what is on the table today, and I would implore those opposite to support these amendments. I would implore those who have wrestled with their consciences on that side of the House over the Malaysian people-swap who are fully aware of the consequences for those who will find themselves transferred to Malaysia, and I implore you: provide them with the legally binding protections that the refugee convention provides, and please support the amendments.

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