Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for his question. The Senate will be aware that in the 2013 election the coalition went to the election with a very, very clear suite of policies. On 7 September the public of Australia cast their vote, and they cast their vote in favour of the coalition's policies. We committed to the Australian people that we, unlike the former government, would implement policies that would break the people smugglers' business model, which the other side had continually fuelled whilst it was in government.

Those on the other side would know that they failed Australians in relation to border protection like no other government has ever done in history. This government was elected with a very clear mandate to implement Operation Sovereign Borders and I am pleased to advise the Senate that we have made a difference from day one. There has been an over 80 per cent reduction in the number of boats coming to this country since Operation Sovereign Borders commenced. In relation to the offshore—