John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister outline what steps the government has taken to protect Australian families from dangerous non-citizens, including criminal gang members? Is the minister aware of any alternative views that would undermine this success?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. I give great credit and pay tribute to the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance today for getting through a massive win for families. But this government is not only about helping families in a financial way, making sure that they've got more of their own money in their own pocket; we're also about making sure that we can keep families safe.

The government has been unapologetic about making sure that we can secure our borders, because if we secure our borders we can have a safe society. But we haven't stopped there. We've cancelled the visas of criminals—non-citizens who were here in our country, committing offences against women, against children and against Australian citizens otherwise. We've cancelled more visas of criminals in the last 12 months than Labor cancelled in six years. We've cancelled a record number of visas—over 250—of people who have committed sexual offences against children.

Importantly, we have cancelled the visas of 184 outlaw motorcycle gang members. The reason is that the outlaw motorcycle gang members are the biggest importers and distributors of ice and amphetamine in our country. In country towns, in rural communities and in our capital cities ice is a scourge. We are doing our very best to make sure that those families can grow up intact and that their children aren't lost to the perils of drug use. We are stamping out outlaw motorcycle gang members. Unfortunately, we do know that outlaw motorcycle gang members have very clear links to other media—other Mafia-type organisations; I'm sorry—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

None of these up here. Well, one or two—actually, three or four, now that I look! But the outlaw motorcycle gangs have specific links into our old friends at the CFMEU. The CFMEU also have their own tentacles into him, her, him, him, her, her, him, him. The CFMEU owns and operates the modern Labor Party. Bob Hawke had the leadership and the guts to disaffiliate the Labor Party from the BLF. This Leader of the Opposition embraces the unlawful conduct of the CFMEU. The fact is: you can't trust this Leader of the Opposition and you can't afford the Labor Party. That's the reality, and the Australian public understand this man. (Time expired)