Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity) Share this | Hansard source

We've put $116 million into gang-related-crime evasion. And just a week ago the Prime Minister, the Minister for Home Affairs and I announced $300 million for a comprehensive aviation security package. That includes in it 190 new positions for Australian Federal Police personnel.

When Labor is in opposition, they talk a big game on national security, but the real test is what they do when they're in government. In 2010 Labor cut $20 million from the Federal Police's funding. The next year, they cut an additional $10 million in Australian Federal Police funding. To break the record, in 2012 they ripped a further $65 million out of Federal Police funding. That's a total of $95 million of funding ripped away from the Federal Police. We know that was at a time when they were spending like drunken sailors. The one place where they were able to show budgetary restraint was national security.

The signs of Labor's weakness on national security in opposition are already evident. They have refused to support mandatory sentencing on illegal trafficking of firearms. They have refused to support mandatory sentencing on child predators. We also know that the majority of Labor's caucus are itching to open up the borders.

You can trust a coalition government on safety and security, but can you trust Labor?

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