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

When Minister Bill Shorten picked up the Australian newspaper this morning he must have started wondering whether the little stunt he pulled this time last year had actually failed miserably, because the current Prime Minister's ratings are now lower than Mr Rudd's were and are at an all-time low. On 24 June last year the now Prime Minister—and I use the word 'now' rather loosely; I am using a little bit of poetic licence when I use the word 'now'—said:

I accept that the Government has lost track. We will get back on track. I have taken control for precisely that purpose.

When the current Prime Minister—and it will be interesting to see what happens next week; I am looking forward to being here on the 24th—said that, there was one policy area that she clearly did not have front of mind: Australia's border protection. This government has been a complete, total and utter failure when it comes to protecting Australia's borders.

To understand the gravity of this government's failures you need to contrast the situation under the former Howard government when we left office in 2007 with the situation we have today under the current Gillard Labor government. In 2001, 43 boats arrived. Back then the Howard government said that that was a lot of boats. Those on the other side must be praying every night for us to get back to 43. The Howard government said that that was a lot of boats. Do you know what they did? They took some very tough decisions: they implemented the Pacific solution and on top of that they introduced temporary protection visas. And do you know what happened? The number of boats that came to Australia in 2002 was reduced to zero. There were 43 boats in 2001. The Howard government took some very tough decisions—they introduced the Pacific solution and introduced temporary protection visas—and guess what: the Howard government policies did exactly what those on the other side are now telling the Australian people they want to do, which is to stop the boats. There you have it. They are proven policies. Those policies actually worked. In the last six years under the Howard government fewer boats arrived than in the last six weeks under the current Gillard Labor government, and ironically those boats have arrived since the Prime Minister and the minister announced the be-all and end-all policy solution to the border protection fiasco, which is their so-called 'Malaysian deal'. The Malaysian deal is going to solve all of the government's border protection problems! But the only problem to date is that they have not actually finalised the deal. We do not seem to have any real details surrounding it. There is certainly no signature on any piece of paper and the government must be hoping that the Malaysian deal does not go the same way as the East Timor deal, which was just announcement after announcement after announcement only to find that the East Timor deal was never, ever going to happen—but it sounded really, really good at the time.

This is a policy area that has been in complete disarray since the government in August 2008 took steps to wind back the strong and proven border protection measures of the former Howard government. This is the extent of the disarray in the border protection area. In November 2009 there was reported a bloody fight breaking out on Christmas Island involving 150 Afghans and Sri Lankans. Since that time we have had a series of incidents: further rooftop protests from 20 to 22 September 2010; 90 detainees breaking out of the Northam immigration detention facility in September of last year; and on 15 November a violent brawl at Broadmeadows. And it continues on. On 17 November last year we had a rooftop protest at Villawood. At the airport lodge between 7 and 10 February, 11 people were hospitalised and a further 11 were actually taken to the watch-house after further disturbances. In February of this year on Christmas Island, in the family compound, nonetheless there were 13 people injured, windows were smashed, three asylum seekers were arrested and 15 young males were moved off the island. We then had a breakout at the Asti Motel and on 17 March there was a protest at Curtin. And it keeps on going. On 17 March a young Afghan man actually died at Scherger. On 28 March an Afghan asylum seeker died at the Curtin detention centre and on 12 and 13 March there were mass breakouts at Christmas Island followed by the horrendous riots that were watched by so many Australians. Then, of course, we had the Villawood riots. Who could forget the Villawood riots? They were actually preceded by the finding of a bomb, no less, in the detention centre, a bomb that the minister was not aware of until he was asked on talkback radio what his response was. He did not have one because the department had not made him aware of such a serious incident.

So what is the Labor government's response to date to this rolling crisis? Now we have what has been called the 'Malaysian solution'—the deal by which we send one asylum seeker to what is looking like almost certain hell in Malaysia and in return we get back five in Australia. Why are we entering the Malaysian deal? It is because the minister is now telling the people of Australia that we need to break the people-smuggling model. What the government refuses to understand, despite the opposition telling them for the last three years, is that it is the government's policies that are encouraging the people smugglers. It is the government's policies that are providing a framework for the people smugglers. In relation to the Malaysian deal those on that side of the chamber, those on the Labor side of politics, like to pontificate that they have the monopoly on human rights in Australia. If that is true, they really need to rethink the Malaysian deal, because to date neither the minister nor the Prime Minister has been able to guarantee to this parliament that they will be able to ensure that the human rights of those that we send over to Malaysia are actually going to be in any way upheld. There is an article in the Daily Telegraph today which says:

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen will rely on the Malaysian government to keep the country's paramilitary—volunteer officers who carry weapons—away from the 800 asylum seekers sent from Australia.

The most recent refugee tribunal report has actually found that members of this paramilitary group have been involved in extortion, rape, and other crimes for which they have received little or no punishment. But does that worry those on the other side? The answer is no. But does it worry the federal parliament? The answer to that is actually yes, because yesterday in the federal parliament, in the other place, a motion passed through the House of Representatives 70 to 68 with the support of the opposition; the Greens MP, Adam Bandt, who moved the motion; and the Independents Andrew Wilkie and Bob Katter. Interestingly, some of those people are actually members that the government currently relies on to ensure that it stays in power. Even those members are absolutely disgusted with the government's antics in relation to the Malaysian deal.

People smugglers must be denied a product to sell. The coalition has been saying that since August 2008, but as long as the Labor Party have their way on border protection the people smugglers will continue to find ways to bring people to Australia, risking their lives in the process. The Labor Party need to wake up, listen to the coalition and implement our strong, proven policies. (Time expired)