Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I rise to contribute to the debate on the Australian Border Force Bill 2015 and the Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Australian Border Force) Bill 2015, which are part of a full suite of measures in line with the coalition government's commitment to strong border protection. Maintaining our borders as a secure platform for legitimate trade, travel and migration is a core responsibility of the Commonwealth government. We have just heard from my colleague the member for Moore, who outlined many pieces of evidence of the increase in the flow of goods arising from the FTAs we have just recently signed as well as from our other trade activities. The member for Moore also gave some great examples of Customs interceptions. These developments are a major part of the reason why these bills are so important.

In the next four years the volume of travellers and goods crossing our border is projected to increase significantly against a backdrop of more complex cargo supply chains and passenger routes, and measures such as this bill position our nation to confront the challenges posed by increased border interactions. The establishment of the Australian Border Force ensures Australia has the capability at the border to manage this growth effectively and efficiently.

The cornerstone of the Australian Border Force Bill 2015 is the creation of an operational border control and enforcement entity. The bill establishes the statutory office of the Australian Border Force Commissioner, who will command the Australian Border Force as a new front-line operational border control and enforcement entity within the Department of Immigration and Border Protection that will enforce customs and immigration laws and protect Australia's borders.

The Australian Border Force is a new national security agency combining customs and immigration officers and will oversee Australia's borders as part of our sweeping new changes to how Australia's borders are managed. The Australian Border Force will begin operating in July and will act as the nation's single front-line enforcement agency. They will include airport and port staff and immigration detention centre personnel with expanded powers to use force, and officers will investigate illicit goods and illegal visitors. It will also include overseas based officers working with regional neighbours to secure Australia's maritime zone and prevent and deter illegal arrivals and the movement of prohibited goods, as we have just heard from the member for Moore.

I have had the opportunity to visit the Customs operations at Adelaide Airport in my electorate of Hindmarsh. I joined the former Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon. Scott Morrison, and met with a number of staff who will now become members of the Australian Border Force. These people do a terrific job and play an important role in keeping Australia's borders safe.

The bill also enables the full integration of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection into a single department of state. By doing this we are removing unnecessary duplication and enabling the deployment of a greater proportion of resources into the front line—something always very important for the efficient delivery of government services. The consolidation of the departments of immigration and customs and the establishment of the ABF is a once-in-a-generation reform which is expected to generate $180 million in efficiencies over the forward estimates and increase to $100 million each year after that. The combined agency will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in savings, but I must make it clear: this is a reform measure, not a savings measure.

I would like to congratulate the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon. Peter Dutton, and the former minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison, for their hard work and commitment to this very important portfolio that the government is having great success in.

Since coming to government we have acted swiftly and precisely to stop the boats, which is saving lives at sea. Children are no longer being put in detention centres. This former government's failed policies caused those problems. In addition to this, the collapse in illegal maritime arrivals is saving taxpayers billions of dollars. Those are some great outcomes on all fronts.

However, there is still the threat that boats and illegal people smugglers will come again. The member for Sydney recently told Sky News that Labor 'certainly have been opposed to turn-backs'. Clearly Labor will revert back to the failed policies which would allow the boats to start again, and would fill our detention centres with children once more. They left a legacy of 50,000 people; 800 boats that arrived on their watch. More than 8,000 children arrived illegally by boat under the Labor government, leading to record numbers of children in detention. These facts cannot be forgotten.

In July 2013 under Labor, at its peak there were close to 2,000 children held in detention. The reality is that, when Labor came to office in 2007, there were no children in detention, because the Howard government policy of stopping the boats succeeded. Labor changed the policy; the boats started coming; people were drowning at sea; and children were in detention. The way to stop children entering detention and to stop deaths at sea is to stop the boats, and that is exactly what we are doing. The coalition government does not want to see children on boats. It does not want to see children in detention or dying at sea, and that is why we have stopped the boats and are implementing strong measures to protect our borders and reduce the number of children held in detention.

What we as a government are doing is working hard and implementing important measures to restore confidence in our migration programs, to support a strong economy by serving as a global gateway for trade, enabling business and the operation of free markets through the FTAs, and supporting strong national security by intercepting prohibited goods and the people who seek to harm us. This bill deserves support from all parties, and I commend the bill to the House.

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