Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Last night on the 7.30 program the former Prime Minister, the member for Warringah, said a deal to trade guns for votes by the minister for immigration was not authorised. Is that accurate? Was the minister acting without the authority of the then Prime Minister, the member for Warringah?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. Obviously the government has been very clear in relation to these matters. No guns have been imported as proposed by Senator Leyonhjelm. As the Minister for Justice has spoken about in recent days, we put a ban in place which did not allow those guns to come in. The arrangement at the time was that there would be a COAG process, as has been the case back to the Howard days when the arrangement was put together, and the arrangement was that the premiers and the chief ministers would deal with that consideration on the advice of the police ministers and the police commissioners, and that is as has happened today. To go to the substantive issue—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

I will come back to the honourable member's question in a second—the issue is that this government has been very consistent and strong when it comes to gun laws. We have implemented national security legislation which has given our agencies, both policing and intelligence agencies, the best possible chances of dealing with crime. Labor has opposed us at every turn.

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs and the member for Sydney!

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor has opposed us in relation to legislation, including mandatory sentencing—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney is warned! The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?

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

On direct relevance. The question was very specific—the minister said he would come back to the issue and I ask him to do so.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is in order.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To go to the honourable member's question, there were discussions between me and Minister Keenan in relation to what approach there should be. Labor had proposed some amendments to a piece of national security legislation which would have weakened that legislation, and we wanted Senator Leyonhjelm, Senator Day and the other Independent senators to support our national security legislation. It was in relation to the collection of biometrics at airports, and we wanted that bill through the parliament. There was a discussion, as Senator Leyonhjelm mentioned this morning. I had a meeting with him and Senator Day in Senator Day's office. I have made checks this morning and I am advised there was no correspondence between my office and the office of the then Prime Minister. But there is no question that at an advisers level there would have been discussions around this issue. To suggest that somehow Minister Keenan and I entered into these arrangements without there being discussion between officers does not follow—there no doubt would have been discussions. As I say, I am advised there was no correspondence from my office to the then PM. That goes directly to the member's question.