Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

There are times of chaos, there are moments of crisis and then there is the Albanese Labor government's handling of border protection and migration policies. If anything can manage to overwhelm times of chaos or moments of crisis, it's the hapless way in which the Albanese Labor government handles border protection and migration policy. We've seen time and time and time again recently a government that is lacking in a clear sense of direction when it comes to border protection and that doesn't know how to be strong and clear and firm in its border protection policies being endlessly caught off guard and endlessly scrambling in some sort of chaotic fashion to patch something together in the hope that it will mask over their own incompetence.

You know just how bad Labor's approach to this policy in this bill is when the coalition and the Greens and the crossbench can all reach the same conclusion. You know just how bad it is when, despite the very different positions we take from the Greens in relation to border protection, we come to the same conclusion that this is the most hopeless, hapless, chaotic process you could possibly imagine. That's why the government needs proper scrutiny over its legislation and this approach.

We know the government could have managed this process so much better, because yesterday morning, when they ambushed us with the bill, they gave us a bill date stamped last Friday. So if it was important, why didn't they give it to us last Friday? If it was important, why didn't they share it then? If it could withstand scrutiny, why didn't they introduce it last week, not on the death knell of this sitting? We know they can't withstand scrutiny, which is why they don't want to have any scrutiny. The ministers run away from the cameras in the press gallery, and hear in the parliament they want to run away from the normal scrutiny of legislation.

We're not going to stand for that. We went through the responsible process of hearing from the department last night. It left more questions than answers. That's why it's important there is proper scrutiny of this bill. That's why we are supporting that. We will deal with it, if you want, the first day back of the next sitting. (Time expired)