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

This is the same government that proudly boasts of its commitment to full cost recovery for Australian exporters, which would see industries such as the horticulture industry, beef industry and seafood industry faced with crippling price increases that would put at risk their ability to compete in the global market. Here you are on the one hand with AQIS fees saying that these industries should pay their way. You don’t wipe their debt off any more. Oh no, you are quite happy to see them go to the wall. But someone actually jumps the queue on a visa and overstays and you are quite happy to deport them. But what about the debt? You wipe that off. Where is the principle in that? It is the principle of the policy that is just hypocritical. You put pressure on horticultural people for full cost recovery and at the same time you do not want to do it for those people who overstay here on their visas and break the law. You are quite prepared to deport them but you wipe their debt. It is absolutely outrageous.