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

I thank the honourable member for her question. She is very keen to make sure that her local community is a safer place for families to grow up in and for people to retire to and to enjoy their retirement without being harassed by criminals. We have presided over an arrangement where noncitizens in this country have had their visas cancelled at an increasing rate if they have been involved in crime. We do not apologise or step back from that for one moment. In fact, I have been very consistent in saying that this government is determined to not only secure our borders but to also make sure that we can make our communities a safer place.

We have cancelled now over 1,000 visas of noncitizens who have been involved in all sorts of crime, including: sexual assaults, armed robbery, assaults against people in their homes and burglaries. There are a whole of range of crimes, as you would expect. In addition to that, we have cancelled the visas now of 84 organised crime figures, people who are involved in bikie gangs.

I am asked about alternative policies. I informed the House earlier in the week, that whilst we have presided over children coming out of detention, whilst we have stopped boats at sea, whilst we have emptied detention centres, whilst we have stared down the people smugglers—I will just get a glass of water for my throat. I was interjecting a little too much earlier on; I am paying for my earlier sins. I am sorry, Mr Speaker.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

I am going to come to you next, sunshine, don't worry. Do you know where we are headed? We are talking about your time when you were the immigration minister and you were a complete failure—as you were when you were Treasurer and as you are now as shadow Treasurer trying to implement this crazy policy of negative gearing and of driving down house prices and of driving up rents.

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