Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The clear and unambiguous message from Australia to people smugglers is, 'Do not come; you will never get here,' because we will use whatever means are possible within the law to stop them, as we have. The message from members opposite to the people smugglers was, 'Come on over!' There are some complaints from members opposite that apparently some payments may have been made. I am not going to comment on any operational security matters. I never do and I never would.

I did read in one of the papers that when members opposite were in government, they sought and were given $21 million to pay to people smugglers and to other people in Indonesia; $21 million, it was said in the newspapers, were sought by the Rudd government to disrupt people smugglers' operations. It did not work. I heard the former Prime Minister saying very sanctimoniously last night, 'We never made any payments to people smugglers to secure turnbacks.

They never did a turnback. They never did a single Turnbull. They promised to do turnbacks; they never did them.

See this speech in context