Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

In 2006 the Howard government announced it would introduce legislation to move the processing of asylum seekers offshore. I told the Howard government that I could not support that proposal because it was unjust and unfair. I pointed out that, if every country did what the Howard government was proposing at the time, we would have chaos. If every country booted asylum seekers or refugees offshore to another country they would end up with nowhere to actually go. I took a stand against that policy because I believed a more compassionate approach was necessary to deal with our refugees. It is a stand that I look back on proudly and still look proudly upon today. It is important that Australia does its bit in a world where, unfortunately, people have to flee in fear of their lives. It is the Australian thing to do.

It is for this reason that I support the policy put forward by the government to abolish the detention debt of genuine refugees. It is a humane policy and one which I wholeheartedly support. However, I do not feel the same sentiments towards those people who enter this country illegally or violate the terms of their visas. I make a very clear distinction between someone who comes to Australia in order to be safe from the horrors which await them in their home country and those people who show a total disregard for Australian laws and our immigration system. One simply cannot put these two categories of people on the same level.

Australia is a welcoming country and has for many years opened its borders to people of all races and creeds. Our immigrants have brought many wonderful qualities to this country and we are an enriched society as a result of their contribution. I grew up in the northern parts of Melbourne—it was and still is a very multicultural place. It was a great place to grow up. However, we also have a society which values law and order. It is good that we have a multicultural society; however, we also have a society that values, and must value, law and order. We understand the importance of having rules in place to ensure that as a society we function in the appropriate manner. Without these rules we would have anarchy. Australia embraces its policy of multiculturalism. However, we should not be seen as a soft target for unscrupulous people-smuggling and we should not be seen as a soft touch for people to come and overstay their visas and jump the queue. These are two important principles that I think most Australians would share. I repeat: we should not be seen as a soft target for unscrupulous people-smuggling and, secondly, we should not be seen as a soft touch for people to come and overstay their visas and jump the queue.

We have a hardworking Department of Immigration and Citizenship which carefully sets the quota of new immigrants needed for each year and methodically assesses each application according to the rules and guidelines set out before it by this parliament. There is a proper process and, just as there is a process, there are consequences for those people who refuse to abide by this process. There are consequences for those people who flout the law and engage in illegal conduct, which undermines the foundations of our peaceful society. This is the case in any functioning society and Australia is no different. Therefore, when people break the law they are to be punished. Under our laws, which are not the subject of debate at present, those people are detained in our detention centres and then, very often, deported to their home country. This includes people who come out on holiday visas and work illegally in Australia in full knowledge of the consequences this brings. There are very important issues at hand here. I will go through that again: this includes people who overstay their holiday visas and work illegally in Australia in full knowledge of the consequences this brings. It includes people who obtain visas to Australia by lying on their application forms, only to have this discovered once they arrive. It includes overseas visitors who commit violent crimes during their stay on our shores. This is irresponsible and illegal behaviour. It is a costly burden on our economy and it is taxpayers who end up footing the bill.

Under the current laws, those people who are detained in detention centres are asked to pay the bill for their stay. I support this policy. I believe that, if given a choice between having ordinary, hardworking Australians pay for those costs and making those responsible reimburse this expense, the latter should foot the bill every day of the week. Instead, what this government is seeking to do is grant immunity to those people who have broken the law and let them off scot-free. That is crazy—absolutely crazy. I cannot understand why it has not been raised until now.