Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister asking the Australian people to believe his changes to Australia’s border protection policies have made no contribution at all to the surge in illegal arrivals since August last year?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question, which goes to the question of what constitutes the driving factors behind international people movements. That is the question he asks. He asks: what are the constituent elements of it? He asks: whether it is in fact domestic policies or whether it is international push factors, what is the relevance of all of the above? The second part of his question dealt with also what he described as a recent increase in activity. Could I put this into context. The Leader of the Opposition should know that in the period of the Howard government nearly 250 vessels arrived in this country. They brought to Australia almost 15,000. I am also advised that of those issued with what was then described as temporary protection visas, some 90 to 95 per cent were then granted permanent residency in Australia. Let us put this into context. Secondly, I can say to the honourable gentleman that he goes to the question of changes in the last few years. In the period we have been in government—bearing in mind that the Howard government had almost 250 vessels arrive, bringing almost 15,000 people—we have had something like 38 vessels arrive with about 1,700 people. So far, this runs at an average of 20 per year. It will go up and it will go down, but that is basically the average over the period of the Howard government.

The honourable member then asked the question about driving factors. I noticed that the honourable member goes to the question of domestic policy. One of the domestic policies which I presume, listening to those opposite, they wish the government to now embrace, is temporary protection visas. I say to those opposite that in the two years following the introduction of temporary protection visas some 8,000 to 9,000 people came to this county on up to 100 vessels. I say to the Leader of the Opposition, as he embarks upon what is obviously a conscious and deliberate debate in this place, for conscious and deliberate reasons, that it is important to place his question entirely in its numerical context.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before giving the call to the member for Kingston, I  indicate to the House that I have been prevailed upon by a number of members of this place who apparently are still basking in the glory of events on the last Saturday in September at the MCG to mention that there are visitors from the Geelong region in the gallery. The depth of the welcome that members give I will leave to them, but it gives me the opportunity, as somebody who does not get to speak in this place, to indicate that Frank Costa, President of the Geelong Football Club, is in the gallery. He is a major employer in the region represented by me and by the member for McEwan. It also gives me the opportunity to send my best wishes to my mother-in-law, who had bypass surgery in Geelong last Wednesday.