Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Conroy. The Prime Minister announced late yesterday that she would be visiting Indonesia next month to meet with the President on topics of—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a private citizen?

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

Order! You on my left get the opportunity to ask questions and be heard in silence. Senator Hanson-Young has the same entitlement.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is in relation to the Prime Minister's announcement that she will be visiting Indonesia and will meet with the President in relation to asylum seekers and refugees. Will the Prime Minister be offering the $70 million as required and recommended by the Houston panel for protection and care programs that were expressly advised were urgent at the time of its report in August last year?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the senator noted, that was an announcement made yesterday. I do not at this stage have the full details of the itinerary or of the matters that will be discussed. But, unlike Mr Abbott, I am sure the Prime Minister will have the courage to raise a whole range of issues and not slink off back home, pretend that a discussion that did not happen did happen and then background journos—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, it did. Someone else chatted to somebody else who chatted to somebody else's butler. That is Mr Abbott's style. As to the substance of your question, Senator, I will take that on notice.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for his answer and I appreciate the offer to take it on notice. I look forward to the answer. Mr President, I ask a supplementary question relating to the urgent allocation of at least 3,800 extra resettlement places that the Houston report specifically asked for. Will the Prime Minister be offering those to the Indonesian President when she meets him?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia's relationship with Indonesia is in excellent shape. Our two nations enjoy close cooperation across a broad spectrum of political, security, commercial, environmental and cultural issues. It is one of our most important relationships—a point that was emphasised in the government's white paper on Australia in the Asian century, released in October last year. There have been considerable developments in the relationship between Australia and Indonesia in recent years, and this trip will further strengthen those links. Both governments are working to unlock new opportunities for business and investment and to take advantage of the size, proximity and complementarities of our economies. Of course the Prime Minister will discuss people smuggling. The government has ongoing discussions with Indonesia about this important regional issue. On the single issue you raised: I will take that on notice.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate the minister's taking my question on notice. Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Could the minister explain how the government proposes to justify and explain the nearly 2,000 children being detained in Australia during its bid for the UN Human Rights Council?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate that that was a very broad supplementary question to the original question. Possibly Senator Bob Carr might have been able to help. I utterly reject the premise of your question. Those opposite, who seek to take advantage of the situation and to manipulate it for their own cheap political advantage, are once again shamed in this chamber today. People smuggling is a serious issue and those opposite, who unfortunately do include the Greens, who refuse to get behind—

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I would like clarification as to which premise of the question the minister is rejecting: the facts or that he does not want to explain.

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

This is now debating the issue. There is no point of order.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, it is not just those opposite who will not support the Houston committee's recommendations. Those in the Greens' corner have also passed up the opportunity to help put people smugglers out of business.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The minister has referred to the Greens as rejecting recommendations of the Houston panel. I point out that I have just asked two questions in relation to the rejection—

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

There is no point of order. You are debating the issue. The time to debate the issue is after three o'clock.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not know there is really much I can add to that. The raw nerve was exposed.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Conroy. I remind the minister that, under the Gillard Labor government, Australia has now seen an average of more than 100 people arriving illegally by boat every day this month, and, in the last six years of the Howard government, fewer than 200 people arrived on illegal boats. Under this government, Australia has seen more arrivals in just three days than in 2,190 days under the former Howard government. Why is this government at war with itself rather than at war with the people smugglers?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, back to the cant and the hypocrisy from those opposite. It is good to get you back on the record, because, whether it is to the home port or the sea boundary, Indonesian authorities have continually confirmed they will not reach an agreement with Australia to turn back boats. That leaves a massive, gaping credibility gap in those opposite. We have seen the weasel words in recent months from Mr Abbott: 'No, we won't stop the boats immediately; it may take us three years or we may have to change the rules a few times.' Under the existing rules, the High Court rulings, we need to change the laws. Those opposite know that. They are engaged in the most rank hypocrisy. When Indonesia's ambassador to Australia was asked about this on 31 May this year, this is what he said:

I think it's not possible for the Coalition to say that it has to go back to Indonesia because Indonesia is not the origin country of these people.

…   …   …

… no such collaboration will happen between Indonesia and Australia [to] bring back the people to Indonesia.

What was the coalition's response? We had the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Ms Bishop, say:

I would expect the ambassador to say those things publicly.

Before the ambassador's statement, the shadow minister for foreign affairs, that arch diplomat in waiting, had said to Lenore Taylor:

… professional diplomats are paid to present, ahh, particular views but what goes on behind the scenes can be quite different - what people say privately can be different to what they say publicly …

The coalition might think it is okay to say one thing and mean another. That might be the standard operating manual for those opposite, but it is outrageous— (Time expired)

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to Prime Minister Gillard's promise to the Australian people that she had a plan to stop the people smugglers' despicable trade. Why then, Minister, have more than 38,000 people on 589 illegal boats arrived under the Prime Minister's watch, 2,044 of them in this month alone, despite the fact that we are only 20 days in? Isn't it the sad reality that this government is the best friend that a people smuggler will ever have?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is true that not every member of the opposition in this building is a rank hypocrite, because the member for Pearce, Judith Moylan, used a Sky News interview to publicly denounce Mr Abbott's policy and express concerns about what would happen to the asylum seekers left at sea. Here is what Ms Moylan had to say:

I think if we want to build neighbourly relationships we have to use our best diplomatic skills to deal with this and that means engaging with Indonesia, not trying to solve our immediate domestic political problems by pushing people back over in the international waters back to Indonesia.

The other thing is we don't know what happens to those men, women and children on the boats once those boats are pushed back in the water.

So if we're going to cry about deaths at sea, people getting on boats, what are we thinking about when we say well let's push the boats back.

(Time expired)

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the minister now concede that, no matter what the Prime Minister says, the government continues to ignore a worsening crisis on our borders, stubbornly sticking to policies that have failed, and the only way to stop the boats is for the government to adopt the coalition's proven border protection policies, which stopped the boats, and finally return integrity to our borders?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have nothing to say whatsoever about Ms Moylan? Ms Moylan said:

So if we're going to cry about deaths at sea, people getting on boats, what are we thinking about when we say well let's push the boats back.

She went on to say:

Because once they've pushed them back our patrol boats go back to Christmas Island and we don't know what happens to those people. Do they ever reach the mainland of Indonesia?

Not everybody on that side is engaged in rank hypocrisy, deceit, fear and smear. There are still some lights burning on the opposition side. There are still some who actually want to end the people-smuggling business, who actually want to try and stop the people-smuggling ring, but no-one there will stand up and be counted like Ms Moylan was. We know there are a few of you hiding over there. We know there are a couple of members on that side who despise their own party's policies in this area, just like Ms Moylan does. So do not come in here and pretend you are— (Time expired)