Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Cash. Minister, how is the Liberal-National government's strong economic management and firm focus on border security giving it the resources and the resolve that it needs to protect Australia's borders and keep Australians safe?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for his question. As we move towards the next election, there is a very clear choice when it comes to border security. To keep Australians safe the Morrison government understands that you need to ensure that our borders are secure. It is a result of the Liberal-National Party's border protection policies that the people smugglers' business model has been destroyed. In fact, they have been unable to illegally bring people to Australia for five years now. But, as we know, and as Senator Smith knows, this does not happen by accident. It comes because of a very strong minister at the time for border protection, Scott Morrison, and a very strong minister we have now for home affairs, Minister Peter Dutton. It comes because we have put in place policies that are tough and policies that ensure we have constant vigilance. Why? Because we know the people smugglers. They watch very carefully, and they are looking for the first sign of weakness in a government. That sign of weakness means that the borders will be reopened, and what we will see again is people flooding down to Australia.

It is an undisputed fact that the former Labor government were unable to stop the boats. In fact, they used to laugh at our suggestions that we could implement tough border protection policies. I will quote the then-immigration minister Brendan O'Connor. He actually mocked our policies of turn-backs. He told the parliament:

The 'turn back the boats' policy is an element of the 'stop the boats' fraud … Their 'turn back the boats' policy does not exist except in the minds of those opposite.

Labor said we could not stop the boats, and we did. Labor said we couldn't break the people smugglers' model, and we did—a clear distinction between Labor and the Liberal-National— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, a supplementary question.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why is it important for the government to take a tough stance against people smugglers?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, as you know, when you outsource immigration policies, as the former Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government did in conjunction with the Australian Greens, the result is catastrophic. Let me just remind the Senate that under the former Labor-Greens government 50,000 people arrived in Australia illegally on 800 boats. In fact, many will recall that at one stage there was a press release almost on a daily basis announcing yet another boat arrival. Tragically, in excess of 1,200 people lost their lives at sea as a direct result of an open borders policy. In fact, I recall at the time that Senator Hanson-Young famously said 'accidents happen' in relation to people drowning at sea. But Senator Hanson-Young, who was the spokesman at the time for the Greens, failed to ever admit it was a result of policies that the Greens supported when Labor was last in government.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, a final supplementary question.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the success of the government's strong border protection policies, is the minister aware of any risks to Australia's border security and the safety of the Australian people?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is those who do not believe that a fundamental responsibility of government is to ensure the security of the nation, and we absolutely know that the Greens advocate for the come-on-down policy—'Come on down to Australia.' And they are encouraged by the Labor Party. A Labor-Greens alliance yet again will be the greatest threat to border security and, ultimately, keeping Australians safe. If Labor are ever elected to office again, what we will see is history repeat itself. The last time Labor and the Greens were in government, it actually cost the taxpayer in excess of $11 billion as a result of the policies that they implemented. Labor can pretend all they like, but they are on a unity ticket when it comes to border protection. But when they are in office, they capitulate to the Greens, and what we see is a complete outsourcing of border protection to the people smugglers endangering border security.