Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nothing says what this government feels about Tasmania more than how it has treated the AFP presence in Tasmania. What we've seen today is all four Labor MPs in this place—the members for Franklin, Bass, Braddon and myself, and, indeed, the Independent member for Denison, when he's here—all calling for restoration of the AFP presence at Hobart Airport, the only capital city airport without an AFP presence.

An 85 per cent cut under this government cut the AFP in Tasmania from 27 down to five people. It's an absolute outrage—an absolute outrage! Three years ago, this government ripped 27 AFP officers out of Tasmania. At a time of increasing concern about national security, why on earth are they taking AFP officers out of a capital city airport? It beggars belief. It just goes to show the contempt that this government shows for every single Tasmanian.

It's not just the Labor MPs calling for this and it's not just the Independent member for Denison; it's Liberal senators and it's the Tasmanian Liberal government calling for the restoration of AFP officers. When is this government going to listen? When is this government going take Tasmania seriously? We are sick and tired of being treated like second-class citizens by this outrageous disgrace of a government.