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

My question is to the Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister. I refer the Treasurer to this training t-shirt, made and used by the crew of one of our Navy patrol vessels, which refers to them as the 'Ashmore Island to Christmas Island water taxi service'.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member will desist from using—

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

When will the government stop using our Navy as a water taxi service for people smugglers and embrace the Howard government's full suite of policies on border protection that stopped the boats?

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Treasurer has the call but will ignore the argument in the question.

Honourable members interjecting —

Order! The member for Sturt will desist with the prop. The Leader of the House has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, on a point of order. The men and women of our Defence Force deserve our respect, not to be used as a stunt by any member of this chamber.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer has the call and will ignore the argument in the question.

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

It is sad that this question is being asked on the day we have the coronial inquiry going on in Western Australia for the deaths of almost 100 asylum seekers just over a year ago. The question should be seen for what it is, which is a pretty disgraceful piece of politicking and seeking to move the opposition away from the fact that they have a completely ridiculous and ineffective alternative to stopping the boats.

Mr Alexander interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bennelong will not continue with the prop. The Treasurer has the call.

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

Since May 2011 they have refused to support proposals from this government for regional processing and regional arrangements. Sadly, more boats are coming and, sadly, more people are drowning. We ought to pause there and think about our responsibility as a parliament to put in place the full range and suite of policies which can stop these boats coming and which can deal effectively with the people smugglers.

To that end, in a responsible way, we commissioned the report from Mr Houston and his committee as to a range of proposals which needed to be implemented. The key part of that is regional processing, which was once again rejected by those opposite. They say openly to the public that they support a regional solution and they actively vote against it in the parliament. How can anybody take that mob over there seriously, particularly when their public position has now been repudiated by the Indonesian ambassador and by the Vice-President of Indonesia?

This sort of crude politicking is repugnant. The fact is that we need to put in place a regional solution to deal with the people-smuggling model. We have been frustrated at every part of the evolution of this saga by those opposite, who will not come to the party and who are being negative, just as they are always being negative about everything in this parliament. Their refusal to support regional arrangements just shows how unfit they are for high office.