Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Evans. When will the Labor government honour the Prime Minister’s election eve commitment in relation to unlawful boat arrivals, to ‘turn them back’, as stated in the Australian on 23 November 2007?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Fierravanti-Wells for her question. The election commitments the Labor Party made prior to the last election were very clear. They were that we would maintain mandatory detention for unauthorised arrivals, be they by boat or airplane. That promise has been delivered. We made a commitment that we would retain the excision of offshore islands prior to the election. That commitment was honoured. We made a commitment that we would process unauthorised boat arrivals at Christmas Island. That commitment was honoured. All the election commitments the Labor Party made prior to the election have been delivered in government. We also made commitments to end the Pacific solution. That commitment has been honoured. We made a commitment to end temporary protection visas. That commitment has been honoured. We made a commitment to provide more humanity in the way we detain people and to respect their rights as individuals. That commitment has been delivered

On every aspect of Australian Labor Party policy in relation to border security and the treatment of those seeking asylum in this country, the election commitments we made have been delivered. Unlike those opposite, we have actually sought to be open with the Australian people about those policies and then deliver them, not offering core and non-core promises but offering properly coordinated public policy. We will continue to pursue our policy of attempting to disrupt people-smuggling operations to this country. Like the rest of the world, we are facing increased asylum-seeking activity, but we are absolutely committed to ensuring that we do everything we can to disrupt people-smuggling, and we committed $650 million more in this year’s budget to that end. That is being deployed now to try and disrupt people-smuggling— (Time expired)

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given that the Prime Minister has broken his promise to ‘turn them back’, can the minister explain what the Prime Minister meant when he talked about his preparedness ‘to take appropriate action as the vessels approach Australian waters on the high seas’?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I indicated to the Senate in answering the first question, the premise of Senator Fierravanti-Wells’s supplementary question is just wrong. Our policy commitments have been honoured. What we are seeking to do is ensure there is strong border security. That is why we maintained mandatory detention; that is why we maintained excision; that is why we maintained processing at Christmas Island. And, when we abolished the Pacific solution, you supported it, but now it suits you to try and make allegations that do not reflect the policy stances you have taken in the past. There is no policy from the Liberal Party, apart from a call for an inquiry. This government has put extra resources into border protection and patrolling and is committed to coordinate efforts to try and prevent people-smuggling. We are absolutely focused on the task. (Time expired)

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Debate across the chamber is disorderly. I am waiting to hear Senator Fierravanti-Wells. The time for debate is at the end of question time. I speak to both sides.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Minister, I can read what is on the public record, but doesn’t the fact that there have been 32 boats and more than 1,500 unlawful arrivals since August last year prove that, far from toughening border protection laws, as the Prime Minister promised, the government has softened the laws and reneged on the policy commitments that the Prime Minister repeatedly outlined?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to Senator Fierravanti-Wells’s question is no. The allegation is that if boats arrive you are weak on border security, even though you intervene. On that basis the Howard government was weak on border security, because 12,000 people arrived in three years, and Malcolm Fraser was weak on border security, because a couple of thousand arrived in two years. It is a nonsense.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I say to those on both sides: shouting across the chamber is completely disorderly.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On that basis, the Italian government is hugely weak on border security because 30,000 people arrived unlawfully on their shores last year by boat. This is a complex international problem and it requires complex international responses. We are working closely with Indonesia, with Malaysia and with all like-minded governments in South-East Asia, through the Bali process, to do everything we can to disrupt—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is not much time left to answer the question, but there still needs to be silence.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have a policy; the Liberal Party has a call for an inquiry. (Time expired)