Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister that there are 5,360 people being detained by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, an increase of more than 200 per cent since the beginning of this year. Given that the budget forecasts a 50 per cent decline in detention and processing costs over the next two years, what will be the actual hit on the budget bottom line of the government losing its way and facing a blow-out in the cost of unauthorised arrivals because of its failed border protection policies?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. Obviously the government budgets, as governments in the past have budgeted, for the detention of unauthorised arrivals. For example, the Howard government spent, on the construction of Christmas Island, hundreds of millions of dollars in order to build that facility. So, detention arrangements do have to be paid for, and the government has made appropriate provision to pay for those detention arrangements.

I would also say to the member that he would have heard me in this House in the past describe the opposition’s slogan in relation to unauthorised arrivals—its three-word slogan, a three-word slogan that it went to the election with. Now I am in a position—

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was very specific. It asked about a blow-out in the government’s budget.

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

It probably would have been a very good question if it had finished at that point. But then it went on with arguments. This is my problem. This opens the door to answers that perhaps the questioner does not want.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The general policy area was asked about in the last few words of the question, so I am making my answer directly relevant to that. On the general policy area of unauthorised arrivals, the member who asked the question would have in the past heard me talk about the opposition’s three-word slogan. Well, actually, there has been an overnight development. They used to have a three-word slogan of ‘Stop the boats.’ Overnight, as a result of statements by the shadow minister for immigration, their new slogan is: ‘Lay out the welcome mat for 3,750 asylum seekers.’ That is what the opposition now stands for in this debate. That is what they want to send as a message to people smugglers. The first 3,750 are fine. Well, on this side of the House we are not laying out the welcome mat the way the shadow minister wants to with his new policy—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The House will come to order.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

his new policy of “Let’s put out the welcome mat for 3,750 asylum seekers—”

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The House will come to order.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Instead, what we are going to do is the work required in our region for a regional protection framework and regional processing centre, because what we want to do with people smugglers is send them a very clear message that they no longer have a product to sell.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Those on my left will come to order!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So we will leave the opposition with their new-found welcome mat policy—they have moved to two words instead of three—and we will be working methodically on the long-term policy agenda of a regional protection framework and regional processing centre.