David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the very capable Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash. Can the minister update the Senate on the success of Operation Sovereign Borders over the last 18 months?

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

I thank Senator Johnston for the question. Last week marked the 18-month anniversary of the implementation of Operation Sovereign Borders, and can I take this opportunity to thank and praise the men and women of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, who have been at the front line of the delivery of this policy.

At the 2013 election, Australians voted overwhelmingly for the implementation of the Abbott government but also for the implementation of strong border protection policies, which, as we know, were denied to them for six years under the former Rudd and Gillard Labor governments. Australians can now judge this government on the basis of the following statistics. Since the implementation of the full suite of Operation Sovereign Borders, which, I remind senators, includes the option of tow-backs where it is safe to do so, there has been one illegal boat arrival in Australia—just one. Let's compare that with the record of the last 18 months of the former Rudd and Gillard governments. In 18 months, the Australian public endured a staggering 534 boat arrivals with 35,000 illegal arrivals on board. And that is just the last 18 months of the—

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

Pause the clock.

Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr President. The minister is misleading the Senate. It is not illegal to seek asylum in Australia.

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

That is not a point of order.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr President, you have ruled on this issue on many occasions now and I would invite you to consider action against senators who continually raise points of order that they know have been ruled against.

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

Thank you, Senator Abetz. Senator Cash has the call.

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

As I was saying, there have been 534 boats and 35,000 illegal maritime arrivals. Under Mr Chris Bowen, the former minister for immigration—

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

Pause the clock.

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

Mr President, on a point of order, I draw your attention to whether the minister is deliberately misleading the chamber on this issue. She has been reminded that it is not illegal to seek asylum.

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

That is not a point of order. You are debating the issue. There is an opportunity at the end of question time for those matters to be debated.

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

Under former minister Chris Bowen, there were 24,000 illegal maritime arrivals. Under former minister Brendan O'Connor, 12½ thousand people arrived here illegally. Then we have a look at former minister Tony Burke. He only had 5½ thousand arrive on his watch, but put it into perspective, colleagues: he was minister for less than 12 weeks. That is what you get under a Rudd and Gillard government.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate of the effect the government's strong border protection policies had on the insidious people-struggling trade.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I fixed it, because I'm a fixer!

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

Taking up Senator Sterle's interjection, you are right, Senator Sterle: we did fix it. We have fixed what was, quite frankly, one of the most disastrous policy failures the people of Australia have ever seen. How did we do that? We did it by taking off the table the promise of permanent residency in Australia, which was put back on the table when former minister Chris Evans, in fateful August 2010, rolled back the former Howard government's strong border protection policies. And we all know what happened as a result of that. Fifty thousand people arrived here illegally. The Australian taxpayer incurred a cost of in excess of $11 billion.

Senator Abetz interjecting—

Senator Abetz, you are so right—the human tragedy, Senator Sterle: 1,200 people dying at sea. So you are right: we did fix it, and we are proud of it. (Time expired)

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Is the minister able to inform the Senate of any alternative approaches to the government's proven border protection policies?

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

From the howls on the other side, you know exactly where we are going if they are ever elected back to office. I listened to a news interview of the shadow minister, Richard Marles, the other day. Yet again, he failed to commit Labor if they were elected to office to the policy of turn-backs. Turn-backs have been integral to the success of Operation Sovereign Borders. The success of Operation Sovereign Borders, if you look at the statistics, is undeniable—one boat in the 18 months since the implementation of Operation Sovereign Borders, compared to 534 in the last 18 months of the former government. If those opposite are re-elected, all we do know is that we will return to the cost, chaos and tragedy that for six long years the Australian public had to put up with.