Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his promise in 2007 that Labor’s policy is that if people are intercepted on the high seas then these vessels should be turned around. Prime Minister, with 92 boats intercepted and 4,100 unauthorised arrivals since the government weakened our border protection laws, and with reports of an imminent massive transfer of asylum seekers to the mainland, why should people believe this year’s election promises when the Prime Minister has not kept his promises from the last election?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. I assume he would also of course be concerned about the fact that during the period of the Howard government we had in given years 3,700 people arrive, 2,900 people arrive, 5,500 people arrive—in fact, the gold, silver and bronze awards when it comes to the arrival of individuals in this country by boat goes to the Howard government one, two and three.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order that goes to relevance. The Prime Minister was asked about his broken promise to turn the boats back.

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

The member for Cook will resume his seat.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

It would be very unfair for the minority of members that are actually cooperating to perhaps suggest that this place is being conducted as an asylum. If people cannot show a little bit of respect to others and just conduct conversations across the chamber and show their disregard for question time, we may as well move on to other business. The Prime Minister has the call. He is responding to the question.

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

The honourable member also asked about the use of onshore facilities. I draw the honourable member’s attention to the following. In fact, in 2006-07—notwithstanding what was then described as the Pacific solution—we had the transfer of asylum seekers from Christmas Island, Nauru and Manus to various mainland centres. That occurred during the period when the Leader of the Opposition’s party was in government. But of course we could not possibly expect consistency on the part of those opposite on these questions; nor could we expect consistency on the part of those opposite when, not long after this government was elected and we changed the Pacific solution, the then shadow minister for immigration and citizenship came out and publicly welcomed the changes we had embraced. But that seems to have been airbrushed from history as political opportunity presents its face right now to the Leader of the Opposition.

I also draw the Leader of the Opposition’s attention to the following statement:

It is timely to remember that the use of people smugglers to get around a country’s rules about who can come and who can stay is a worldwide problem. Australia is not alone.

That was said by none other than Phillip Ruddock when he had charge and responsibility for the immigration system of Australia. Therefore, when it comes to consistency when confronted with the challenges of global push factors from the Middle East and from the region and dealing with them on the ground, those opposite were confronted with the same sorts of challenges that this government has been confronted with as well.

I draw their attention to their practice—that is, their use of various facilities. I draw their attention to the statements made by Phillip Ruddock and by others. And I draw their attention also to the fact that, when it comes to the numbers of people arriving here by boat and by other means, during their period in government there were quite a considerable number of arrivals in this country. As I said, based on those numbers that I presented to the parliament before, they were most significant indeed—running into the thousands—and across a single three-year period there were almost 12,000 in total.

These are practical challenges faced by governments across the world. This government will continue to implement a responsible policy—one which deals with the challenges that present themselves through global circumstances. We continue to maintain a policy which includes offshore processing, which includes mandatory detention, which includes stringent health, identity and security checks, which protects our national security and one in which we also act consistently with this country’s international obligations.