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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, of those granted a visa to come to Australia from the terrorist controlled Gaza war zone, how many have had their visas cancelled since the horrific attack on Israel on October 7 last year?

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

The member for Wannon uses a couple of incidents in his question. One is to quite rightly speak about October 7, and there's no question that certainly anyone of any decency opposes the atrocity that Hamas committed on October 7. But he also speaks about the terrorist controlled Gaza strip. Hamas did not take control of Gaza on October 7. They took control almost two decades ago and in that time have refused to have any elections or any democratic process or to engage with the people of Gaza, and of course they certainly don't represent the people of the West Bank either.

The member knows that we take the same advice from the same security agencies.

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

Order. 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

It's relevance. The question was very tight, very specific. It was: how many have had their visas cancelled since the horrific attack on Israel? It was a very, very specific question.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To the point of order, it's yet another example of them getting up on a point of order on relevance and only quoting a portion of the question that they asked. The relevance rule allows any part of the question. If the Prime Minister is being relevant to any part of the question—

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

Speaker—

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

The member for Wannon will resume his seat. The way we'll do this is, when someone is on their point, on either side, there's no point getting up until that person has concluded. If you wish to further debate the point of order, that's okay, but this collision at the dispatch box has got to stop.

The Prime Minister has been dealing with sections of the question regarding October 7 and Gaza control. He was talking about the process of the visas. I can appreciate the member would like a number or a figure, but, as I've said many, many times, I can't compel the Prime Minister to give that figure, as much as the member may wish that. He just needs to remain directly relevant, so he can't go off topic. He's got to remain directly relevant to this question, and I'm listening carefully. He was talking about visas being issued, so I want to make sure that it is relative to the question.

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

Last Wednesday, the Leader of the Opposition said:

I don't think people should be coming in from that war zone at all at the moment. It's not prudent to do so and I think it puts our national security at risk.

That's what he said last Wednesday in welcoming Olympians home. The fact is that that came three months after there was a shutting of the Rafah border crossing, which occurred in May.