Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs. I ask Senator Cash: how is the Liberal-National government continuing to work to combat the scourge of people smuggling in our area and to keep Australia safe?

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

I thank Senator Macdonald for his question, and I know that he has a keen interest in ensuring that the boats continue to be stopped. In answer to Senator Macdonald's question, it is all about putting in place policies that are tough but fair. In terms of the policies that the coalition government has continued to put in place, they are tough but they are certainly fair and what they have done is they have stopped the boats. We have as a government secured our nation's borders.

We understand as a Liberal-National government that border security, the security of the Australian people and the Australian nation, is a fundamental responsibility of the Commonwealth government. But this has not occurred by accident. This has occurred because we have stood firm. We have stood down the people smugglers. In fact, Senator Macdonald, you would be aware that we have stood down opposition from the Labor Party and the Australian Greens. We have put in place policies that the Labor Party and the Australian Greens said would never work. They said they were impossible. We have turned back the boats when have they tried to come to Australia illegally. That has worked. It is something those on the other side said was impossible. We introduced temporary protection visas. Again, it's something that those on the other side said would never work. More importantly, we made the vital decision that anybody who attempted to come here illegally would never be settled in Australia.

As a result of those tough but fair policies we have ensured that we have taken back, from the outsourcing to people smugglers, border security policy in Australia. We will always ensure that the security of our nation and the security of the Australian people are put at the paramount section of policy.

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

Senator Macdonald, a supplementary question.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for that very, very clear answer to the question and I ask the minister further: why is smashing the people smugglers' evil trade at the core of the government's strategy to secure our borders?

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

It's because, when you outsource border protection to the people smugglers, you actually are admitting that you have lost control of our borders. On this side of the chamber—on the Liberal-National side of politics—we will always ensure that the security of our nation and the security of the Australian people is put as a fundamental responsibility of the Commonwealth government. Otherwise you get chaos and, when you get chaos under Labor and the Greens, what you see is 50,000 people arriving here illegally on over 800 boats. What you also see is 1,200 deaths at sea—that we know of. What you also see is over 8,000 children being detained when Labor were last in government. What you also see is 17 detention centres being opened. You have to keep opening detention centre after detention centre because of the chaos that is put in place by losing control of our borders. (Time expired)

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

Senator Macdonald, a final supplementary question.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister again for that very clear explanation of the overwhelming success of the government's policy, and I ask the minister: is she aware of any ongoing threats to our nation's border security?

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

It is the policies of a future Labor government, being supported by the Australian Greens. That's because we know that so many on the Labor side of politics actually believe—they're prepared to admit—in open borders. They believe in outsourcing border security to the people smugglers. They think it's okay that 50,000 people arrived here illegally. They think it is okay that those people actually displaced people who had been waiting in camps overseas not for five years and not for 10 years—I met people who have been in camps for in excess of 20 years. Their children were actually born in the camps. Those people don't seek to come here illegally. What we also never want to see on our side of politics are people dying as a result of losing control of our borders. In excess of 1,200 people died at sea that we know of. We will never allow that to happen whilst we are in government. (Time expired)