Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash. Will the minister advise the Senate of the importance of the government maintaining its strong resolve in relation to Operation Sovereign Borders?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ruston for her question and her ongoing interest in protecting Australia's borders. The government understands the importance of resolve in this important portfolio area. We understand the importance of sending a strong and clear message to the people smugglers who profited from and exploited Labor's policy weaknesses.

Senator Lines interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lines!

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resolve is necessary if you want to end deaths at sea. Resolve is necessary if you want to ensure that we do not have the 1,200 people confirmed dead under those policies that the former government supported. Resolve is necessary to ensure that the Australian taxpayer does not face an $11.6 billion cost blow-out because of failed border protection policies. Resolve is necessary to ensure that a government does not have to build detention centre after detention centre to house the in excess of 50,000 people who arrived illegally by boat because of the former government's failed policies. Resolve is also necessary to ensure that we restore integrity to our borders and that we ensure that places in our refugee program—which are, of course, precious—are given to those who have spent five, 10, 15 or 20 years languishing in camps, those who do not have the means or the opportunity to flee, to buy tickets to another country by plane and then to pay a people smuggler for illegal passage to Australia. So what would happen, Senator Ruston, if we were to weaken our resolve in relation to our border protection policies? You only have to take a look at the past six years of cost, chaos and tragedy to tell you what would occur.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I would like to ask the minister to advise the Senate how the coalition government's border protection policies make fairness the cornerstone of our refugee and humanitarian resettlement program?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Fairness is a concept that is foreign to those who supported the policies of the former government. While those on the left claim to have a monopoly on compassion, the policies that they implemented and the tragedies that resulted from those policies would say otherwise. Under the former government at least 14,500 places were denied to people, languishing in refugee camps, from countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Jordan, Somalia, South Sudan, the Congo and Uganda. They were denied a place and a new life in Australia because those who supported the former government's policies deliberately ignored their legitimate claims for asylum. The human cost of the policies of the former government is immense. We will not turn our backs on them.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on that note, I have a further supplementary question. Can the minister please advise the Senate how in recent years border protection policies disadvantaged genuine refugees seeking to come to Australia through legitimate channels?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the government of the day incentivises, by way of their policies, an illegal and dangerous journey to Australia, people will inevitably exploit this mode of entry. The policies implemented under the former government ensured that those with the financial means to pay a people smuggler were able to fly into Indonesia, destroy their documents, pay someone to get them here and arrive uninvited in Australia. Given that our humanitarian program is a capped program, those arriving illegally by boat displaced the many millions of asylum seekers who are waiting patiently—

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: twice now Senator Cash has used the word 'illegal'. It is not illegal to seek asylum under international law—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order, Senator Whish-Wilson, that is a debating point. There is no point of order. Senator Cash, you have the call.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I remind all senators that under this government, consistent with the Howard government, we will decide who comes here and the circumstances in which they come. In terms of the capped places in our program, we will not turn our backs on those languishing in camps. (Time expired)