Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

As I have just said, we will reverse that cut. In every budget the Labor Party has reduced the resources that are available to Customs and Border Protection. The former CEO of Customs was forced to reduce the levels of the SES in Australian Customs and Border Protection by 20 per cent. Astonishingly, they have actually cut almost $21 million out of the capability of Border Protection Command to conduct aerial surveillance: the planes that pick up the illegal boat arrivals that have been a direct result of this government's failed border protection policies and which do other things to police our borders. They have also cut over $34 million out of the budget for passenger facilitation at Australia's eight major international airports. This is on top of cuts of $17.3 million over five years for the management of vessels of illegal foreign fishers and, in the latest MYEFO, it was estimated that $35 million has been cut from Customs in the forward estimates. And that is not the extent of the cuts—I could go on. The cuts to other agencies have mirrored these savage cuts to Customs and Border Protection. The truth is that the Commonwealth has failed the Australian people dismally. It has failed to fulfil its responsibilities to enforce law and order in this country. It has completely failed to meet its responsibility to protect Australia's borders. It cannot control our immigration system, and it cannot control our ports and seaports and stop contraband like drugs and guns from coming onto our streets. We will make sure that these front line agencies are properly resourced and make sure that border protection again has the priority it deserves— (Time expired)

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