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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the policies she has advocated since the Rudd Gillard government dismantled the Howard government's Pacific solution in 2008, namely, a freeze on processing of Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum seeker claims, the East Timor solution, reopening the processing centre on Manus Island and now the Malaysian people swap. Once the Malaysian people swap has been exhausted, will the Prime Minister then consider the reintroduction of temporary protection visas?

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

The government's policy is not to reintroduce temporary protection visas. As the shadow minister would be aware, we have been provided with very clear advice, which has also been shared with the opposition, that temporary protection visas do not have the deterrence value that has been claimed for them and they have the potential to encourage family groups and women and children onto boats, which is not something that anybody wants to see.