Cameron Caldwell (Fadden, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Department of Home Affairs told Senate estimates on 28 May that, as of 31 March 2024, 39 visitor visas from individuals from the terrorist controlled Gaza war zone were cancelled, but 12 of those cancellation decisions were later revoked. Prime Minister, as of today, how many visas for individuals from the Gaza war zone have been cancelled since 7 October, and were any of the visas cancelled following additional security checks?

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

We, of course, take the same advice from the same security agencies, even the same security personnel, as the former government did. We have confidence in our security and law enforcement agencies to do their job. One of the things they do is do it on an ongoing basis.

We don't discuss all of the methods that our agencies use to determine if someone is a national security risk, for obvious reasons. We encourage the director-general of ASIO to directly engage so as to depoliticise these issues. That's why the director-general of ASIO goes onto TV—not because it's something that is in his wish list of wanting to tick off but because it's the right thing to do because it is consistent with his view about the need to lower the temperature in this country.

If those opposite think that the circumstances are that we don't need to lower the temperature then they can continue down this cul-de-sac, but I've got to say that we want to ensure the security of our nation is prioritised—not a news grab, not a headline, the security of our nation.

We've seen the form in this before: the criticism of Malcolm Fraser for making what was called a mistake in bringing Lebanese refugees to Australia in response to the 1976 Lebanese Civil War, the claim that Victorians were scared to go out due to African gang violence and incorrectly blaming the death of a teenager on such gangs in a bid to score a point, the cruel war against the Biloela family and comparing their children to anchor babies, the catching of a senior member of the then government on a hot mic making jokes about Pacific nations facing rising sea levels. There were the comments during the last election suggesting that the now defence minister was the choice of China.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order on relevance, Mr Speaker. It was a tight question about the number of visas for individuals from the Gaza war zone that have been cancelled since 7 October. He should answer that. He has equivocated and failed to do that. If he has nothing more to say, he should sit down.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! There's no commentary needed when someone approaches the dispatch box on either side. The Deputy Leader of the House on the point of order?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business continues to raises this point of order because he's something of a serial offender on this. It is quite clear in the standing orders and in Practice that a minister and certainly the Prime Minister has the right to compare and contrast. He has answered the question. What he is doing now is comparing and contrasting.

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

The Prime Minister has 19 seconds remaining for his answer, and he shall remain directly relevant.

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

It is important to have context. The context is that this bloke has 20 years of form.