Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Given that Lieutenant General Angus Campbell was able to provide the answer last night that no Indonesian boats have been purchased by the government, why was the minister unable to provide that answer in question time last week?

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

The member for Corio has asked me about paying for boats. The Australian people have had to pay more than $11.6 billion in budget blow-outs because of the former government's border protection failures, 800 boats with more than 50,000 people who came on—

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The minister for immigration should be directed to be directly relevant to the question. The question was not about cost; it was how many.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That may well be the interpretation of the member for Isaacs, but the question did involve cost.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on the point of order. Yesterday, we had an example of you reinterpreting a question. This is a point of order—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. He is reflecting on the chair.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on the point of order exchange that has just occurred, the question that was asked by the member for Corio was very broad. If the opposition want to ask specific questions, they will then be able to take the point of order on direct relevance. But while they insist on having very broad questions, this will be the outcome.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We might do something unusual and ask the member to repeat his question and I will listen very attentively for the content.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question I asked to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection was: given that Lieutenant General Angus Campbell was able to provide the answer last night that no Indonesian boats have been purchased by the government, why was the minister unable to provide that answer in question time last week?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will give the minister the call in a moment. I would add it did talk about a question of purchase. Nonetheless, I would ask the minister to be pertinent to the question.

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

The question went to the purchasing of boats. The cost of purchasing the more than 800 boat arrivals that happened under their government's watch, the more than 50,000 people—

Ms Owens interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Parramatta will desist.

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

cost the Australian taxpayer more than $11 billion.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: given the question was asked twice, I am not sure whether I can still take a point on direct relevance.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, you cannot.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then, can he just please be it.

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

This government is seeking to reverse those failures of the previous government and we are making progress on reversing the chronic border failures of the previous government with a 75 per cent reduction in illegal arrivals by boat since the commencement of Operation Sovereign Borders. The Australian people who got rid of the previous government for those border failures, for the $11.6 billion of budget blow-outs because of those failures, expect us and can rely on us to have available and to implement all of the arsenal of measures that are needed to stop the boats. We will hold the line on this. We will stop the boats. We are stopping the boats. We were elected to do that and that is what we are doing.