David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

To have vital strategic assets like oil and gas platforms that form a strong basis to our economy approached by illegal immigrants in vessels, willy-nilly, uncontrolled and undetected, is in fact a scandal. It is a scandal. What did the Prime Minister say in question time yesterday? He denied that there is any issue, notwithstanding seven incidents since August. I wonder, seriously, whether he was consulted about sending the Navy on Christmas holidays. I really do wonder whether he was part of that.

It is not just the fact that we know it is a problem for national security and border protection. Mr Steve Cook, the Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration in Indonesia, is reported as saying that people smugglers are responding to the change in Australia’s immigration policy over the past 12 months with a significant increase in activity. As I said yesterday, our changing disposition to illegal immigrants, asylum seekers and whatever is to simply say: ‘Come on down. You can be released into the community.’ Mr Paulus Purwoko, deputy chief of criminal investigations in the Indonesian National Police, has confirmed their growing concern about people smugglers, who are paid over A$18,000 for each passage. It is big money, and it is the wrong message coming from this government.

Again—and I want to underline this—the government and its ministers in this place have disclosed, firstly, no understanding and, secondly, more concerning, no interest in this issue. The West Australian yesterday ran a picture of the boat. It is a 40-foot boat, off Shark Bay, standing three metres above the waterline. We have a massive amount of radar, aerial surveillance and patrol boat facilities, and yet it was undetected. I would have thought that these ministers would have been concerned about that. I would have thought that they would have been asking questions and would be prepared to answer questions in this place yesterday and today as to what has happened in order for this boat to get through, and yet all we get is, ‘I’m calling for a report,’ and no answer as to which boats will be deployed.

There was a very interesting contradiction between Senator Wong and Senator Faulkner. Senator Faulkner admitted that seven of the Armidale class patrol boats would be stood down during the period 1 December to 31 January, but Senator Wong today said that operational intensity will be maintained. So half the boats are going to go twice as far in the same time? I think not. Again, there is no understanding. They are coming into this place unprepared to answer important questions, when a boat full of people comes into Australia at a latitude equal to that of Brisbane. I must say, if it had been Brisbane, if it had been the eastern seaboard, I am sure they would have been much more concerned. The editorial in the West Australian says it all:

The embarrassing incident has put the spotlight on border protection amid accusations that the Rudd government’s changes to immigration rules announced in July have sent an open invitation to people smugglers.

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