Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. Can the minister confirm that the Chief Government Whip, Mr Buchholz, has delivered a message to the Prime Minister's office that, if tomorrow's budget is received badly, the Prime Minister must sack the Treasurer or his own job will again be at risk?

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

No, I cannot.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Niki Savva clearly thinks that is the matter; she seems to be extremely well informed. But I ask a supplementary question: can the minister confirm that before Christmas the foreign minister urged the Prime Minister to sack the Treasurer?

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

Here we are, the day before the federal budget, and where do the Labor Party get their questions from? The gossip columns in the newspapers. The gossip columns in the newspapers are the feedstock for the Labor Party's question time in this place. When we were promised by the Leader of the Opposition that 2015 would be the year of ideas, what are their ideas? To trawl through the gossip columns of the newspapers and ask questions and say, 'Is this bit of tittle-tattle true?' rather than asking, 'How can we help the government restore the economy?'

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

Pause the clock. Senator Moore, a point of order?

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Again it goes to direct relevance. The minister was asked a particular question about confirming a statement; he has not gone even close to making an answer to that question.

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

Thank you, Senator Moore. I remind the minister of the question. He has 21 seconds in which to answer.

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

Mr President, I thought I had answered it very clearly. Just in case I have not, for the benefit of Senator Moore, let me say: this is a government that does not engage in the gossip columns of the newspapers and rely on the sort of tittle-tattle that the Labor Party use as their stock in trade. What we do is: we get on with the business of fixing the economy. (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Does the minister agree with the cabinet colleague who was quoted in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph that the Treasurer is 'the hole at the heart of the Abbott government'? Can he confirm that the Treasurer will be shifted from his position before August, in a deal reached between the Prime Minister and the Minister for Social Services?

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

Here we go again, a third attempt at relying on gossip columns to ask questions. Can I say yet again: what is the source? 'An unnamed source.' It always is with the Labor Party. When they want to deal with the issues of gossip, we on this side want to deal with the issues of repairing the economy, reducing the cost of living and getting on with the job of creating jobs for our fellow Australians. That is what we are focused on. That is what we dedicate ourselves to. And the budget tomorrow night will indicate that we have been concentrating on job creation rather than tittle-tattle creation.

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

Pause the clock. Senator Moore, a point of order?

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, again it is on direct relevance. I look back with pleasure on the minister's first answer, which was a straight response to the question. I ask you to draw his attention to the question.

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

Thank you, Senator Moore. The minister has 15 seconds in which to complete his answer.

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

When a senator is unable to name the source and just relies on some sort of gossip column—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He did name the source.

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

The source is 'unnamed'; that is pretty accurate, isn't it! That is typical of Labor policy formulation.

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

Pause the clock. A point of order, Senator Carr?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, on relevance: the question was about a cabinet colleague quoted in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday. The source was clearly named.

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

That is not a point of order; that is a debating point. Minister, have you concluded your answer? You have two seconds.

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

Simply to repeat: 'unnamed, unsourced'.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash. Can the minister inform the Senate of any significant savings in the Immigration portfolio? How has the government achieved these savings?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Another replay.

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

I can assure you, Senator, it is not a replay, but it is very good news for the Australian taxpayer. If it were a replay, I would be telling you about the $2.5 billion this government returned to the Australian taxpayer in the budget as a result of last year's budget and the savings made by Operation Sovereign Borders. If it were a replay, I would be telling you about the $11 billion budget blow-out that you incurred in this portfolio when you were in government. But this is not a replay. This is a new figure for the benefit of all Australians.

Given the ongoing success of Operation Sovereign Borders, we will now provide the Australian taxpayer with savings of more than half a billion dollars in the 2015-16 budget. As I said, that is on top of the already $2.5 billion in savings that we provided to the budget in 2014-15. How has this been possible? When you stop the boats, the people stop coming. That is something that those on the other side just failed to comprehend. In stopping the boats and in stopping those arriving here illegally, the government has now managed to close many of the—

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

Pause the clock. Senator Wright, a point of order?

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

Mr President, a point of order: the minister is misleading the chamber; 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; it is a debating point. Senator Cash.

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

Thank you, Mr President. The Greens hate fiscal responsibility, they hate the truth and they hate responsible border protection policy. In terms of closing down detention centres, we have managed to close down 13 detention centres under this government. In terms of the further impact on the budget, logistics and service requirements across the detention network adds a further $112 million in savings. In terms of the reduced requirement for charter flights, it is another $66 million in savings. So, yet again: $2.5 billion last year, half a billion dollars this year. That is what you get when you stop the boats. (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister advise the Senate of any alternative approaches to the government's border protection policies that have delivered these amazing savings?

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

Yes, unfortunately, I can. It would appear that the left-wing tail continues to wag the Labor dog. Proof of that is that the Left continue to be in charge of Labor's border protection policies. Most recently we have seen Melissa Parke, the member for Fremantle, warning the current opposition leader, Bill Shorten, not to embrace the coalition's successful turn-back policy on asylum seekers, saying there would be enormous ramifications if the Labor Party reversed its opposition to turn-backs at the ALP's national conference in July.

We know that in relation to temporary protection visas the shadow minister has revealed that he wants to rubber-stamp Labor's plans to abolish temporary protection visas. Those on the other side fail to learn from their mistakes. If you do not embrace turn-backs, if you abolish temporary protection visas, as your stated policies do, we return to the chaos— (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the minister explain to the Senate why it is important that Australians retain confidence in the integrity of our immigration system?

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

Just by way of statistics I can do that. Under the former Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments, 50,000 people arrived here illegally by boat. Under the coalition government, one vessel has successfully arrived. Under Labor, in excess of 1,200 people tragically died at sea. Under the coalition, Operation Sovereign Borders has seen deaths at sea stopped. Under Labor, children in detention peaked at 1,992 children in one month alone, July 2013. Under the coalition, as of last Friday, I am advised that there were 120 children in detention on the mainland.

Of course we yet again go to the budget blow-outs. Under those opposite in just 5½ years there was $11 billion in budget blow-outs—versus us with responsible government on this side; we saved the Australian taxpayer $2.5 billion last year and we will save the Australian taxpayer an additional half a billion dollars this year. (Time expired)

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, the Minister representing the Prime Minister and it seems half of the frontbench today. Minister, budgets are about choices. Why does the Prime Minister persist with choosing to attack the most vulnerable members of our community, for example by slashing support for sole parents, rather than asking large multinationals to pay their fair share?

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

Despite the question, I will congratulate the new Leader of the Australian Greens on his ascension to the leadership and wish him not too much success in the role but all the best in the role. Also on behalf of the government I wish the former leader, Senator Milne, all the best for her future as she determines what occurs with that.

The Leader of the Australian Greens is refreshingly correct when he says that a budget is about choices. We as a government are determined not to saddle the next generation with a burden of debt and deficit because this generation could not act responsibly, so be assured that we as a government are concerned about making the right choices for today and especially for the next generation.

In relation to some of the matters that the Leader of the Greens seeks to ventilate in his question, I say to him: 'Watch this space tomorrow night and see what may or may not be announced.' But it is indicative that the Greens have already started their negative mantra on the budget before it has even been delivered. Senator Di Natale had said that he was going to be cooperative and willing to work with government. I look forward to that, but I must say that I am not sure that question is a good start down that track. But we will have a look at the supplementary questions to see if they are any better than the first.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Thank you, Minister Abetz. Given that your government has clearly got a revenue rather than a spending problem, here is some advice. Will you now consider revenue measures such as abolishing the $10 billion subsidy that provides cheap fuel to multinational mining companies who are making superprofits?

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

Did I hear that right? Was that an invitation for the Greens to vote for our fuel excise tax? I think it was, but I will have some further discussion with the new Leader of the Australian Greens. You talk about subsidising certain fuels. When we brought into this place a tax for fuel or to index fuel excise I thought the Greens voted against that measure and were opposed to that measure. Here he is telling us that we somehow have a revenue problem. In the past when we gave the Australian Greens the opportunity to counteract that revenue problem, what did the Australian Greens do? They voted against it. Under your leadership, Senator Di Natale, we look forward to a fresh approach. From this government's perspective overall and my personal view— (Time expired)

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Minister Abetz, why won't the government learn the lessons from the last budget? Why does it continue to link unfair and harsh spending cuts to pay for essential services such as child care?

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

Of course I do not agree with the description by the Leader of the Australian Greens of some of the changes that have been suggested for tomorrow night's budget. I say to the Leader of the Australian Greens: 'Watch this space. Let us see what happens tomorrow night.' The leader may well change his tune in relation to some of these matters.

Having said that, I say to the Australian Greens that the most important choice we have with this budget and in future budgets is intergenerational accountability and responsibility. We want to ensure that we look after the next generation without burdening them with a legacy of deficit and debt, which the Labor-Green government inflicted on the Australian people and would have inflicted on the next generation had we not taken the sort of action that we had to take. (Time expired)