Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

In the 2009 budget an additional $654 million was dedicated to a whole-of-government strategy to combat people-smuggling as part of the government’s $1.3 billion strategy to strengthen national security and border protection. We have established a dedicated Border Protection Committee of cabinet to drive the whole-of-government strategy to combat people-smuggling and to ensure that the government’s efforts are fully coordinated and resourced at levels which enable us to quickly respond to the factors that contribute to irregular people movement. The Rudd government has also created a single point of accountability for matters relating to the prevention of maritime people-smuggling within the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. These new arrangements will create a more effective capability to analyse intelligence, coordinate surveillance and on-water response and, of course, engage internationally with source and transit countries to comprehensively address and deter people-smuggling throughout the operating pipeline.

The Labor government are absolutely committed to try and combat people-smuggling. We are working closely with Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka to deal with what is an increasingly large number of people seeking asylum and moving through South-East Asia. It is a problem that we have come together to tackle under a rejuvenated Bali process, as all countries in the region recognise the challenge people-smuggling makes to us. (Time expired)