Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I draw the Prime Minister’s attention to comments by Theo L Sambuaga, chair of Indonesia’s foreign relations committee, in relation to the release of Abu Bakar Bashir. He said:

My advice don’t let other heads of foreign countries to interfere in our process of law.

Why won’t the Prime Minister listen to the advice of his own government led Senate inquiry and to the Australian parliament, rather than the Indonesian parliament, and abandon once and for all his bill to appease Indonesia?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is not acting in any way to appease Indonesia. As evidence of that, I do intend when I next see the Indonesian President—notwithstanding the advice tendered by the gentleman quoted by the member who asked me the question—to raise the question of Abu Bakar Bashir and I do intend to put to the Indonesian President the strongly held views of the Australian people regarding this issue.

So far as the legislation to which the member refers is concerned, this government remains quite firm in its resolve to, where opportunity presents, further strengthen our border protection. Unlike the Labor Party, we have a strong, unequivocal position on protecting this country’s borders. Unlike the Labor Party, we have a very strong and determined position in relation to deterring illegal immigration. If the honourable gentleman is candid enough about the research that I am sure he has done on this issue, he will know that back in 2001 there was no more frequent advocate of the need to cooperate with Indonesia than the current Leader of the Opposition. In fact, on one occasion the Leader of the Opposition effectively said, ‘Oh, you can fix all this border protection stuff by ringing up the Indonesian President and having a chat about it.’

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Swan interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Lilley!

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In other words—

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Swan interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Lilley is warned.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the sine qua non of everything he said on this issue was that you have to get along well with Indonesia. It is an element. It is not the only element. I would remind the member for Watson that, in contrast to those very difficult months of 2001 when there was a veritable flood of illegal immigrants coming to this country, the reason that has stopped is essentially a combination of three or four things. It is first and foremost the policy that we resolved upon in 2001 of intercepting and returning boats to Indonesia. That could not have been achieved without the cooperation of the Indonesian authorities in receiving the vessels back. The second element was the introduction of the Pacific solution, which the Labor Party has pledged to abolish. Let it be remembered that the Labor Party will abolish the Pacific solution, yet that played an enormous part in bringing about the turnaround and the change. The decision in relation to processing people offshore has been fundamental to deterring people from coming to Australia, to cooperation with the Indonesian security and police authorities and—might I say—to the excellent work carried out by the Australian defence forces and the Australian Customs Service. All of these things together have stopped the flow of boat people. It is only the coalition parties that had the courage then and have had the consistency since to maintain that policy. If you want a return to those bad and difficult days, vote for the Labor Party.