David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. The Chief of the Defence Force has sought and issued a declaration of exemption relating to personnel who carry out specific on-water activities under Operation Sovereign Borders. He has acted in accordance with his authority under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Illegal-entry vessels on the open ocean were already an inherently unsafe working environment; and, indeed, may I remind the senator that 50,000 people on 800 boats have underlined how unsafe. Our Navy personnel and our Customs personnel have had to deal with that level of safety due to the public policy failure of the former Labor government. A declaration of exemption will prevent personnel involved in specific on-water activities associated with Operation Sovereign Borders, who are therefore implementing government policy, from being subject to penalties for breach of Work Health and Safety Act provisions in appropriate circumstances. And I remain interested to see what the Labor Party's attitude to that will be in due course. This—