Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's great to be back, and it's good to see nothing's changed. My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cormann. Why, Senator Cormann, is it so important that the Liberal-National government maintains Australia's strong and successful border security arrangements?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I warmly welcome Senator Sinodinos back to this chamber, and I thank him for this question.

Before joining this chamber, in a past life Senator Sinodinos was the chief of staff to one of our most distinguished and outstanding Prime Ministers in our history ever. I would just refer you to a very important statement that he made in relation to our borders. He made this point:

It's about this nation saying to the world we are a generous open hearted people taking more refugees on a per capita basis than any nation except Canada, we have a proud record of welcoming people from 140 different nations.

But we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.

When we came into government in 2013, after Labor had dismantled the successful border protection policies of the Howard government, we inherited chaos and dysfunction on our border: 50,000 illegal arrivals by boat, on 800 boats; 1,200 deaths at sea. It took our efforts to fix the absolute chaos and dysfunction that we inherited, to put back a strong border protection framework.

And you'd think that Labor would have learned from their mistakes. No; they are at it again. Senator Sinodinos asked why it is important. Let me say why it is important. We have delivered a human dividend that is both compassionate and fair. We have stopped the deaths at sea. We have closed 19 detention centres. Remember that there were more than 8,000 children in detention under the previous Labor-Green government. Now there are none. All the children are off Nauru, or have their bags packed for the United States. That's what strong border protection delivers. Our plan is simple. We won't change it, we won't weaken it. We know that Bill Shorten, in a desperate attempt to score some tactical political points, is prepared to compromise our national security, is prepared to compromise our border security arrangements. He should stand condemned for it. The Australian people can't trust Bill Shorten with our borders.

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

Senator Sinodinos, a supplementary question.

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is the government's position in relation to proposals to change Australia's border protection regime?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government are 100 per cent committed to our current strong border protection policy framework, unamended. Of course, we will not be supporting any attempts to weaken our strong border protection arrangements.

I draw the Senate's attention to this particular reality: Mr Shorten decided to back a watering down of our border protection arrangements, which today he had to admit and confess would have prevented us from turning away criminals from Australia, and which today he had to confess, through his amendments, would have put the pull factor back into our border protection arrangements, which is, of course, at the heart of the product that the people smugglers sell to those poor people who take their chances across the high seas—many of them, too many of them, at risk to their lives. I say it again: Bill Shorten cannot be trusted with protecting our borders. He would make our country weaker.

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

Senator Sinodinos, a final supplementary question.

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Noting the strong words of the minister, why is the government so strongly committed to keeping Australia's borders safe and secure?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia is a great migrant nation. We have welcomed generations and generations of migrants from all corners of the world. Indeed, we have welcomed to Australia many, many thousands of refugees and asylum seekers from all around the world. But, as John Howard quite rightly pointed out, we decide who comes to this country and the circumstance in which they come. In our system, the Australian people give expression to their wishes at an election. It is up to the elected government of Australia to determine how our borders are managed. There should not be any suggestion whatsoever that this is a responsibility that should be contracted out. It is absolutely unbelievable to us on this side of the chamber that, after Labor's disastrous track record on this, they would go back there and try to fiddle with this when their last attempt to fiddle with this had such disastrous consequences. The Australian people will condemn them for it.