Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, the disgraceful interjections we have just heard go to the very core of my opening comment that they profess to stand on the high moral ground on this particular issue. I say to them to repeat that to the families of people who lost their lives at sea when they were fooled by people smugglers to hop on boats at high costs. Tell that to the families and then say that this is a humane policy. It is a continuing failed policy and it is one that has continued to fail. I am astounded that they are not ashamed and Senator Marshall, who is now retreating out of the chamber, is not ashamed. Even during the budget presentation they never ever acknowledged that they are fiscally incompetent and are failing in their policies. They have been consistently fiscally incompetent in the management of Australia. Not once during that budget presentation was there any acknowledgement of any failure, and it is something that the Australian people would like to hear. They would like to know where your policies, from your own advice, have failed and how you are going to fix them—not a 10-year plan, not even a five-year plan, but how you are going to fix what is failing Australians every day.

We hear daily that there is a blow-out of billions and billions of dollars in the cost of dealing with the Gillard government's failed border protection policies. We hear, for instance, that in April alone there was a record number of arrivals—some 3,369 on 46 boats—and that seems to be on the increase. The one thing that we are assured of is that there is growth, which this budget has underscored—and that growth is growth in the people smugglers' business model. It is the only evidence of any area that has significant growth, and it is burgeoning. They are working on the basis of the old fire sale. They have four streams, if you like, across the seas where they have boats arriving, and we cannot provide sufficient surveillance. (Time expired)