Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. I refer the minister to the statement made prior to the last federal election by the Prime Minister, when he said in relation to boats seeking to enter Australia illegally, ‘You’d turn them back.’ Could the minister advise how many boats, consistent with Mr Rudd’s pre-election promise, have been turned back?

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

The Prime Minister expressed the Labor Party’s resolve to try to attack the trade of people-smuggling and that we would apply all measures at our disposal to try to disrupt and end the people-smuggling trade. As I understand it, the last successful turnaround of a boat was in 2005, when the Howard government ceased turning boats around at sea because of operational concerns.

We have certainly attempted to discourage persons from leaving and have worked with our international allies. There has been, for instance, a lot of focus recently on the boat that is moored at Merak which was intercepted by the Indonesians en route to Australia and berthed at Merak. We are using all the measures we can in cooperation with our allied nations and those in the region to disrupt people-smuggling with all the means at our disposal, but we also make sure that those operations are safe and that they do not put naval personnel at risk. As we saw last year with SIEV36, there are dangers to Navy personnel in operating in these environments and one has to be careful.

My understanding is that the last turnaround that occurred at sea was in 2005. I will check that; I do not have the figures easily to hand. But, as I said, I think the last turnaround at sea by Australian Navy personnel was conducted in 2005. Operating instructions to Navy are obviously designed to— (Time expired)

Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for advising the Senate that no boats have been turned around under this government. Could the minister then advise who made the decision and when the decision was made that suspect illegal entry vessels would no longer be turned back, breaking this election eve promise by the Prime Minster?

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 senator in answer to his primary question, the key issue here is about operational safety both of Navy and Customs personnel and of those persons seeking to unlawfully enter Australia. As I was saying earlier, the experience of SIEV36 recently, which is still subject to a coroner’s inquiry, indicated the dangers for Navy personnel and for refugees seeking asylum when dealing with boats at sea. As I said to you, I think under the previous government the policy of turning boats around was largely abandoned because of those risks. I will check with the Minister for Defence and the minister for customs about the current operational instructions that are applied.

Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. In the same interview the Prime Minister stated that he believed in an ‘orderly immigration system’. What is orderly about 15 boat arrivals with more than 800 people on them in the last seven weeks alone? How does the minister justify the Prime Minister’s statement given that, since the election of Rudd Labor, Australia’s border protection has been comprehensively compromised, people smugglers emboldened and a clear election promise broken?

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

The government remains committed to an orderly migration program and strong border security. I would remind those opposite that the peak year for arrivals of unauthorised persons was 2001.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We fixed it!

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

You fixed it, did you, Senator Abetz? I will take that interjection. Why did you spend $400 million of taxpayers’ money building Christmas Island if you had already fixed it? What nonsense! You never claimed you had fixed it.

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

Order! Address your comments to the chair, Senator Evans.

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

John Howard never claimed he had fixed it. He knew that we had to deal with this in 25 of the previous 33 years. I remind those opposite that, in 2001, 5,516 people arrived; in the previous year, 2,939 arrived; in 1999, 3,721 arrived. Were you in charge of our borders then or were you failing?

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

I remind senators that shouting across the chamber is disorderly and that comments should be addressed to the chair.