Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on how the government has been able to implement strong policies that protect Australia's borders? What are the risks of failed, alternative approaches?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Brisbane for his question. When members on this side of the House came into government in 2013 we confronted one of the most difficult policy challenges a government could face. Not only did we have to deal with the fiscal and financial wreckage that the Labor Party left us back in 2013 and not only did we have to deal with the carbon tax they promised not to introduce but then introduced in one of the greatest defiances of the Australian people we've seen in the lie they told to the Australian people prior to that election but we also had to deal with the carnage and horror of what the Labor Party allowed to happen on our borders and seas to our north, which should be to their eternal shame.

When we came to government we did what we said we would do. We said we would stop the boats and put an end to this horrific tragedy, and that is exactly what we did. Those opposite tried to stop us. The Labor Party mocked us. The Labor Party said it could never happen, that you could never implement the measures we said we could. We said three things. We said we would turn back boats where it was safe to do so, and we have. We said we would have offshore processing, and we were able to clean up the offshore processing mess that was left to us by the Labor Party—you never get someone to implement something they don't believe in, because they always stuff it up, and that is exactly what the Labor Party did when they were dragged kicking and screaming to introduce offshore processing. We have maintained that system over the last 5½ years. We said we would restore temporary protection visas, and we did. They are legislated, and the Labor Party wants to reverse them.

They never learn the lessons from their failures, ever. It was in August of 2008 when the Labor Party—cocky, new in government, thinking that they knew everything and that there was no risk—decided to abolish temporary protection visas. They thought there'd be no consequences—50,000 people turned up on 800 boats, and 1,200 people, at least, died as a result of that decision. Now the Labor Party want to do it all over again. If they come back into government, cocky and arrogant as they are, they will do it all again. No. 1: they will abolish temporary protection visas. They've already proved it. Today they have made very clear that they will abolish offshore processing as we know it. It will all go. If anyone thinks that this weak Leader of the Opposition would turn a boat back where it was safe to do so, they're kidding themselves. He hasn't got the mettle for it.