Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister update the House on the importance of a strong, united and consistent approach to protecting Australian borders? Would a change in this approach affect Australia's national interests?

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

I thank the honourable member for Hughes and thank him for the great work that he's doing in his electorate. He's a great local member. He is one of many on this side that supports the government's strong border protection policies.

When John Howard left government in 2007, there were four people in immigration detention, including no children. Yet, when Labor were elected, promising to the Australian public during the course of the election campaign that they would make no changes to the coalition policy on immigration and border protection, they allowed 50,000 people in on 800 boats and 1,200 people drowned at sea. We're hearing exactly the same rhetoric from this Leader of the Opposition that we heard from Mr Rudd and from Ms Gillard. And, as sure as night follows day, if the Labor Party is re-elected at the next election, the boats will restart—there is no question. There are certain limbs of our policy which cannot be changed, and, if they are, the boats will restart.

I see some interesting words from the Labor candidate for Longman. Ms Lamb was quoted as saying:

At this point it's not Labor's policy to resettle people in Australia.

We didn't put people on Manus and Nauru. The Labor Party put thousands of people on Manus and Nauru. We lifted another six people off Manus yesterday, so that brings, in total, the number of people we've taken from Manus and Nauru, who Labor put there, to 292. We've taken them to the United States. We are cleaning up Labor's mess, but it takes time. You would've thought that people like Ms Lamb and others would recognise that the people smugglers listen to every word that we utter in this place and they market on social media when there is a potential change or a softening or a weakening of border protection policy. Those people smugglers are up in Indonesia now rubbing their hands together at the prospect of this Leader of the Opposition being elected Prime Minister of this country.

If Labor brings people from Manus and Nauru and basically raises the white flag, they are sending a message of defeat and encouragement and, dare I say, aspiration to the people smugglers in Indonesia. The Labor Party has learnt nothing at all from the Rudd and Gillard years, and this Leader of the Opposition, who is weaker than Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard combined, is unable to stand up to people like Ms Lamb. If you're in Wamuran or in Caboolture or at the Burpengary Tavern having a beer tonight, have a look at what's happening in Europe at the moment, where hundreds of thousands of people are trying to make their way across the Mediterranean. If you think that can't happen in this country again, look no further than the failure of Labor's past record and what they would guarantee if they're elected at the next election. (Time expired)