Steve Hutchins (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There are so many soapboxes that people have been jumping on here this afternoon about a dreadful problem that we as a nation need to confront. We all know the reason these people are on the Oceanic Viking. Their vessel was in distress and they were rescued. We all know, as Senator Moore eloquently outlined, that people-smuggling is not just a problem for our nation. As we have been reminded in here and in the other chamber, something like 42 million people are displaced in the world at the moment because of civil war or the end of conflicts. When I was in Turkey in the middle of this year I was told that something like 67,000 people have passed through Turkey into Greece—so much so that those illegal migrants in that country were seen as a threat to civil society. We also know that, as a result of the conflicts in Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq and other places in Asia and Africa, Europe and North America are prime destinations for those men, women and children. We also know that they wish to come here and to North America and Europe because it offers them a better life.

I am disturbed that some of my Liberal colleagues, whom I do regard as quite honourable men, would get up here this afternoon and take what might be seen as this high moral ground, suggesting that we are somehow encouraging people to use people smugglers. Senator Moore rightly took objection to that allegation, because this government is very much committed to making sure that this does not occur. As I said earlier, there are so many displaced men, women and children in other parts of the world who are seeking to get to our country to make life better for themselves. I think of the generosity that was displayed towards many men, women and children after the fall of Vietnam in 1975 by the then Liberal government led by Malcolm Fraser after it got into power. That government was very generous in assisting those men, women and children to start a new life in this country. They have been great citizens. It is unfair to jump up here and get morally indignant because this is a difficulty that we should attempt to deal with in a bipartisan way.

The government has started introducing specific measures to try to curtail this growing problem. But it is not just our nation and it is not just this part of the world that has to deal with the issue. We have, just in the last period, committed up to $234 million: $22 million to establish a capacity in customs and border protection for the towing and disposal of intercepted vessels; $63 million for aerial surveillance, including more than $16 million in extra funding for two additional aircraft; $6 million for the Oceanic Viking to undertake an additional 80 days of surveillance and patrol; $1 million to progress options for replacing Bay class vessels. What we are doing is to seek solutions for these desperate people. We are attempting to make sure that the smugglers are not encouraged to continue to use men and women. It should be done with bipartisan support and not on some moral soapbox.