Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In the Prime Minister's June 2022 press conference with then New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, after the Prime Minister told the media 'We had a wonderful dinner last night,' the Prime Minister said: 'Prime Minister's Ardern's concerns are very clear. We'll work through them in an orderly way.' What steps did the Prime Minister direct to be taken to give effect to his commitment to work through Jacinda Ardern's concerns about deportations in an orderly way? (Time expired)

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Riverina for his question. I'm asked the question: do we work through things in an orderly way? Yes, we do. Last week I was asked a question which suggested that common sense should apply to politics. Yes, it should. This is a rabbit hole which they insist on going down.

There are two issues here. One is citizenship. We put in place changes to make it easier for New Zealanders who have been here for a long period of time to become Australian citizens. More than 20,000 people have taken up that opportunity. That's a good thing. It's a good thing that people who have been here for a long period of time commit to Australia and become citizens. With regard to ministerial directions, direction 99 set a similar tone to that which applied under the Leader of the Opposition when he was Minister for Home Affairs. Direction 90, signed by then Minister Alex Hawke in 2021, talked of a higher level of tolerance for criminals who have lived in the Australian community for most of their lives. Direction 79, signed when the Leader of the Opposition was the senior minister, used the same phrase. So did direction 65, issued in 2014 by then immigration minister Scott Morrison. So there's nothing new in any of these things. In terms of—

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're not interested! Why don't you listen for a change?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Attorney-General is warned. I want to hear from the member for Wannon on a point of order.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker, my point of order is on relevance. Ministerial direction 99 made those ties a primary consideration—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, resume your seat. The Leader of the House on a point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I'd just refer to your earlier rulings about abuses of points of order.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's a commonly used phrase in this chamber: serial offenders. The member for Wannon just needs to state the point of order on relevance, not give extra statements. The Prime Minister was asked about what steps he took to work through regarding a decision and regarding meetings from June 2022. He is making direct references around the decision that was made and directions that were made. He is being directly relevant, but I'm just going to make sure that he continues to be directly relevant. He needs to keep talking about the steps and, so far, he is doing that. I'll allow him to continue.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Mr Speaker. For example, in February 2019, the AAT decided that a Congo-born man who had convictions for a sex offence involving a girl aged under 14, and for repeatedly breaching his bail conditions, should be allowed to stay in Australia. The decision cited ministerial direction 65. What did the current opposition leader do? Absolutely nothing. It's alleged that this individual then went on to reoffend. These allegations are serious in nature: domestic violence, torture, assault while armed, assault while occasioning bodily harm and deprivation of liberty. The victims were his own children, including his five-year-old son, who was left in a coma. He was arrested and is currently in remand, pending a trial. The Leader of the Opposition did nothing. This Minister for Immigration has cancelled his visa.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Members on my left and my right.