Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much to the shadow minister for his question. Obviously there are two points to make here. The first is that there are millions of people in movements across the borders each year, and I have not brought the passenger cards down to question time with me—nor could I expect to have availed myself of that information, and nor would it be appropriate for me to do so, because of the privacy issues involved. I think that demonstrates that this question was nothing more than a stunt.

The second point I would make—which is a very serious one—is that, for several days now, the government has been contemplating how to deal with very serious issues, including those which the member who asked this particular question has been doing media on but has not sought to ask one question in this place on. The fact that he would waste his time on this stunt question and not ask a substantive question on the significant issue of the day, which is how this government, compassionately—

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