Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, who I thank for recently visiting HMAS Creswell to inspect the Cape class border protection vessels. Will the minister update the House on the steps the government has taken to secure our borders? How important is a consistent approach to border protection?

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

I thank the member for Gilmore for her question and for inviting me to join her on that day. She, like the other members on this side of the House, can all say to their constituents that this government is doing what we said we would do on our borders; we are doing it in the way we said we would do it; and we are getting the results we said we would get.

Critical to that has of course been the consistency of our position. Of course that is true. They would not understand about consistency of positions on border protection on the other side of the House. What has also been important is the issue of cohesion—a cohesive approach of purpose, of policy, of leadership and of organisation. Operation Sovereign Borders brings together 16 different agencies working together towards one goal, and that has been to stop the boats, and that is what is being achieved.

But that cohesive approach that we have had on border protection is also delivering cohesion in our community. Today the Scanlon Foundation report was released. What came out of that report was a critical finding, which I would hope all members of this House would appreciate: concerns about immigration levels being too high are at the lowest level on record for these surveys. In addition to that, positive sentiment towards immigration is at a level equivalent to or better than across the Western world.

One of the reasons we have been so strong in our borders is because we believe in our immigration program and we want to restore confidence in that immigration program that was lost under the previous government because they lost control of our borders. So we welcome that result. Professor Markus was also able to attribute that increase in positive sentiment for immigration to the coalition's strong border protection policies that have reduced concerns in the community about the asylum issue.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I know those opposite do not understand this. The one area of cohesion we have not been able to produce is on the issue of border protection for those opposite, because Labor are riven with division when it comes to border protection. The captain of 'Team Idiot' over there—

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker—

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

Here is the lieutenant of Team Idiot.

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

Madam Speaker—

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

The minister will refer to people by their correct titles. The minister has the call.

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

I withdraw, Madam Speaker

Yesterday and today we have had the Leader of the Opposition say that it is the policy of the Labor Party at the next election to return to the failed policies of the Rudd government. That is what he said, he said he is going to eschew the policies of this government. He has turned back on turn backs. He says no to temporary protection visas and he wants to return to the failed policies of the Rudd government. Talk about a thief returning to the scene of a crime. At the next election the choice will be clear: you can have the policies of this Leader of the Opposition and Kevin Rudd, or you can have the policies of this Prime Minister and the policies of John Howard. I can tell you there is a very clear choice.