Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am saying it with a straight face, because, quite frankly, it's a fact. More money is going into Operation Sovereign Borders than under your government. It is absurd that the opposition, the coalition, continue to misrepresent people and the government's approach to our border protection policy. The Leader of the Opposition should know better, given that he is a former home affairs minister and minister for defence. As we have heard in this place, Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, the commander of the Joint Agency Task Force with respect to Operation Sovereign Borders, has said very clearly:

The mission of Operation Sovereign Borders remains the same today as it was when it was established in 2013: protect Australia's borders, combat people smuggling in our region, and importantly, prevent people from risking their lives at sea.

Any alternate narrative will be exploited by criminal people smugglers to deceive potential irregular immigrants and convince them to risk their lives and travel to Australia by boat.

I don't think that quote could be any clearer. At the end of the day, we must prevent vulnerable people—those who are trying to seek asylum—from being deceived and exploited by people smugglers and risking their lives by crossing borders illegally.

The coalition, on the other hand, is determined to unravel Operation Sovereign Borders. It is worth noting recent comments by Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram in which he also dismissed suggestions of a cut to the agency's funding and dispelled the opposition leader's claim:

Border Force funding is currently the highest it's been since its establishment in 2015 and in the last year the ABF has received additional funding totalling hundreds of millions of dollars to support maritime and land-based operations.

That is what the commissioner has said.

So my advice to those opposite, to the coalition, is quite simple: stop your destructive messaging to people smugglers and stop undermining our borders. The coalition are playing politics by using this Saturday's Dunkley by-election to spread false and misleading information for political purposes. The Albanese government remains committed to these policies that constitute Operation Sovereign Borders and will continue to facilitate the resettlement of refugees through the proper avenues.

The response of the government to unauthorised maritime arrivals is firm and robust, and we have been fairly clear about the message we are sending to people smugglers, including those who are seeking asylum. People who arrive by boat as unauthorised arrivals won't settle here. Any unlawful entrants into Australia will be taken offshore, and the government will provide humanitarian support to people who have been resettled or returned to their home country in line with our international human obligations. The government's policies in this space will continue to be guided by a commitment to protecting our borders and maintaining Operation Sovereign Borders.