Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of answers to questions without notice asked by Senators Fisher and Cash.

On 23 April 2003, Ms Gillard in her capacity as shadow minister for population and immigration issued the following media statement: ‘Another boat on the way, another policy failure.’

In the media release, Ms Gillard stated:

Reports today that yet another boat of Vietnamese asylum seekers is on its way to Australia is a stark reminder that the Howard Government policy is not working.

She also said:

Only Labor has a comprehensive policy to deal with asylum seekers and refugees ... The Government’s plan on asylum seekers is simply to engage in policy on the run.

The ‘another boat, another policy failure’ media release was in addition to similar comments made by Ms Gillard in the parliament at the time commenting on the arrival of just the second boat under the Howard government.

If the now Prime Minister of Australia wants to talk about policy failure, I suggest that she look at the Labor government’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting Australia’s borders. This abysmal record has been well and truly exacerbated since Ms Gillard took over from Mr Rudd. Forget ‘another boat, another policy failure’ because what we now have under the Gillard Labor government is not another boat; it is another detention centre.

Labor’s complete and utter failure to properly control our borders is reflected in the latest boat arrival. We now have a record number of boats arriving in Australia: 110 boats have arrived in Australia under Labor—and that is only in 2010. We have reached a record of 5,523 people arriving in boats in Australian waters under the Gillard Labor government.

I have to quote from Labor’s 2003-04 response to the budget statement where they proudly dictated to the people of Australia: F is for fail. I can tell Ms Gillard, the now Prime Minister, that she gets a big F when it comes to border protection. The Gillard government is a complete failure when it comes to protecting Australia’s borders.

Under the Gillard Labor government now more than ever people smugglers are dictating who comes to this country and under what terms. Christmas Island is now full. Labor are now opening detention centre after detention centre, and we know from all of the comments from the local communities that it is without any consultation with them.

Universal offshore processing is now history under Labor. Asylum seekers are being sent to the mainland in chartered secret flights at night when they should be sent home. Detainees are escaping from detention centres, and what does the government do? It attempts to counter all of these policy failures with a massive wall of spin. Australians deserve better when it comes to border protection. What does Labor do despite its continual policy failure, despite its failure the halt the arrival of boats. Its answer is this: we will just provide more beds. Now there is a policy response for you.

Since Labor was reappointed, an extra 3,300 beds have been announced by the Gillard Labor government. Ms Gillard needs to ask herself this question: when will the Labor Party wake up and realise that opening more beds will not stop the boats? Perhaps the Prime Minister of Australia can tell the people of Australia why the people smugglers will stop bringing people to Australia when the Gillard Labor government’s answer to its failure on border protection is to merely open up more beds. On this scorecard, Labor gets a great big F. (Time expired)