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

Firstly, thank you to the member for Blair. This is his inaugural question after 300-odd days. Well done. Out of all the questions he could have asked—how do we stop boats, how do we get kids out of detention, how do we stop the drownings at sea—he has had 300 days to think of a question and he came up with a dud question like this. Let me answer it directly. He is referring to some revelations, as I understand it, that were broadcast on the ABC's Four Corners program recently. It made allegations in relation to Senator Sam Dastyari making approaches to my department in relation to citizenship on behalf of a particular individual. I do not have any comment to make in relation to that allegation. All I will say is that I deal frequently with, for example, the member for McMahon. He would write dozens of letters to me each month. He speaks to me on a regular basis in relation to his constituents and, if he has a case with merit, we provide support. And on occasion, people—I can look out on the front bench, including on our front bench and on the back benches—have come to us with cases in relation to their constituents. As immigration ministers past have done, we will look into those cases, and if they are with merit we can provide them with support.

I would be completely blind as to whether or not, for example, the member for McMahon had any financial relationship with somebody. I can say that I believe the honourable member to be absolutely honourable, and I would take the representations that he puts to me on face value, as I do with every other member in this place. That is the reality. If people have, as members of parliament, presented to us cases that they want assistance with, we have looked at those cases. If the honourable member has specific cases that he wants to put to me, I am happy to investigate them, happy to look at them. But if he is just attempting to throw mud, then I think he should look first to Senator Sam Dastyari in the Senate, and he should also look at a couple of others on the front bench who I think might have a little bit of form in this area.

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