Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr President. I add my congratulations to you on your election today. My question is to Senator Cash, the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Australian government is working to combat the scourge of people-smuggling?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Duniam for his question. The one thing the coalition government has done is stopped the boats.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left! Can we at least give a minister a handful of seconds before the wall of noise starts? I appreciate active debate, but Senator Cash had barely completed her first sentence.

Honourable senators interjecting—

The continual noise will merely chew up time in question time. Can we give the minister an opportunity to address the question before the vigorous debate of question time leads to interjections?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. As I was saying, we have stopped the boats and we have secured our nation's borders, because, as we know, the first priority of the Commonwealth government needs to be maintaining national security, and we have smashed the people smugglers' model. But this has only occurred because the—

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Senator O'Neill interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron and Senator O'Neill, we've already had one request from the end of the chamber for the noise to be a little bit less so that all senators can hear the answer. Senator Wong, on a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition's view is that this minister should have resigned. So you should not be surprised, frankly, after misleading the Senate five times, at the interjections.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, precedence and privilege are granted to the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, as should be the case, but that was not a point of order. I ask that we express some courtesy to the senators who might want to hear the answer to the question, particularly those not close to Senator Cash.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The only reason we have been able to stop the boats, and for so long now, is that we have stood firm and implemented strong border protection policies. When those on the other side were saying you could not turn the boats around, what did we do? We did exactly that, despite the fact that they fought us every step of the way. We introduced temporary protection visas, again something that Labor and the Greens fought tooth and nail against. It is very, very obvious, given, in particular, what we have seen today, that if those opposite ever form government again this is what will happen, as it did before: 50,000 people arrived on in excess of 800 boats. There were 1,200 deaths at sea, that we know of—

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, I have asked you twice. There have been an uninterrupted stream of interjections. Please! Interjections have their place in the chamber, but an uninterrupted stream for more than a minute while a minister is answering a question is not appropriate. Senator Cameron.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a minister with absolutely no credibility.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, resume your seat. There is a place for interjections—this is not a chamber of silence—but an uninterrupted stream is not appropriate. Can we please have some courtesy, as we have been requested from our fellow senators at the end of the chamber, so that they may hear the answer?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, there were over 8,000 children in detention. They were detained by Labor when they were in government. I remind the chamber that at the height of Labor's policy failure in July 2013, there were 1,992 children in detention. As a result of the flood of people coming here illegally, those on the other side had to open 17 detention centres. There is a reason you have to stand firm. If you don't, you capitulate to the people smugglers.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Duniam, a supplementary question.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for that answer—what I could hear of it. I'd like to ask why it's important that we have a zero-tolerance approach to people smuggling.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for the question, Senator Duniam. Under this government, we control our borders. We will never ever abrogate control of our borders to the people smugglers. We also don't want to see, as a government—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Reynolds, on a point of order.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have made several rulings now in relation to this matter of disrespect that those opposite are showing both to the chair and to the minister. I'm one row behind the minister, and I cannot see. There are many other opportunities for these debating points for the minister. I would ask that the minister be heard in silence.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron on the point of order.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There might be some little piece of credibility if it wasn't relating to this minister, who should know—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, resume your seat. That was not speaking to the point of order. Senator Reynolds raises a point. Again, please have some courtesy to our colleagues who may wish to hear the answer.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, under this government, we control our borders. We have sent a very, very clear message to the people smugglers that we will take all necessary steps to smash the people smugglers' business model. As a government, we also don't want to see people die at sea. People get on leaky boats to try and come to this country illegally and, as a result of that, lose their lives at sea. What we saw under the former Labor government, in conjunction with the Greens—

Senator McKim interjecting—

And there is Senator McKim—

Senator McKim interjecting—

Exactly—open borders under Senator McKim. There were 1,200 people. We have never heard about those 1,200 people. Those people, Senator McKim, were real people who lost their lives at sea. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Duniam, a final supplementary question.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Noting the overwhelming success of the government's policy, is the minister aware of any ongoing threats to our nation's border security?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They have been well and truly on display over the past several weeks and also in the chamber today, particularly from those on the other side. Obviously Senator McKim makes his position, the Australian Greens position, if they were ever able to go into office again with Labor, very, very clear. We would have yet again a flood of boats coming into this country. We will recall that under the former Labor government a press release went out almost daily announcing the arrival of yet another boat. There was no regard given to those losing their lives at sea and no regard given to the fact that in excess of 8,000 children were placed into detention under the former government. This is a government on this side that will never capitulate to the people smugglers.