Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. I can do no more than quote Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, who made it very clear in February when he said this:

The mission of Operation Sovereign Borders remains the same today as it was when it was established in 2013: protect Australia's borders, combat people smuggling in our region, and importantly, prevent people from risking their lives at sea.

He has gone on to make it very clear about funding, as has the ABF Commissioner, Michael Outram, and rebuking the opposition for some of their false claims. Commissioner Outram said:

Border Force funding is currently the highest it's been since its establishment in 2015 and in the last year the ABF has received additional funding totalling hundreds of millions of dollars, to support maritime and land based operations.

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