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

This private senator's bill is the first test for the newly installed former Prime Minister, Mr Rudd, who is now, yet again, the Prime Minister of Australia. This is a test for the Prime Minister. Only yesterday he said to the people of Australia that Labor can start cooking with gas.

I say to those on the other side that this is a bill which will enable you to do just that. The substance of the bill is self-explanatory. It has been the coalition's longstanding position, since August 2008, when Mr Rudd, as the former Prime Minister, gave an instruction to former immigration minister Chris Evans to roll back the former Howard government's proven border protection policies.

Australia now knows what the result of that disastrous decision was. It has meant that in excess of 45,000 people have come here illegally by boat at a cost in excess of $10 billion. One of the fundamental planks of the former Howard government's policy was temporary protection visas. You will only stop the boats if you re-install temporary protection visas, and that is exactly what this bill does.

If those on the other side as of last night's execution are serious about a change of policy in this country, then they should stand beside the coalition today and put back in place what they stole from the people of Australia—our proven temporary protection visas. I commend this bill to the Senate.