James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cormann. Can the minister provide an update on Operation Sovereign Borders following the passage of the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2018?

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

I thank Senator Paterson for that question. The government is not, and will not, be distracted by the passage of this bill from our duty and responsibility to protect Australians. Our Liberal-Nationals government will continue to work hard to protect the integrity of our borders and our national security, as we have done every single day for the last 5½ years. Earlier today the Prime Minister convened a meeting of our National Security Committee to take the decisions that were necessary following on from the contingency planning that the government had been putting in place over the last couple of weeks.

We have not taken the risks associated with the passage of this amendment Home Affairs bill lightly. We have been preparing very carefully for this eventuality. The government have decided to put in place a range of strengthening arrangements in order to ensure that Operation Sovereign Borders and our operations continue to be successful in preventing the illegal boat arrivals here in Australia that occurred over the six years of the previous Labor government. All of the actions and decisions that we as a government are taking are implementing the recommendations made to the government by our relevant national security agencies and officials present at our National Security Committee meeting this morning. We are adopting all of the recommendations they have put to us based on their advice in response to the decisions that have been taken in the Australian parliament. We are making sure that the Australian Border Force and the other agencies central to the successful execution and operation of Operation Sovereign Borders remain appropriately supported. Everything they are asking for they are getting. That has involved a strengthening of the capacity of Operation Sovereign Borders across a whole range of fronts. The Prime Minister has also made a series of other announcements which I can address in the next question.

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

Senator Paterson, a supplementary question?

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What are the next steps for the government in ensuring that our borders remain strong and border protections are not weakened by the passage of this legislation?

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

We are obviously not at liberty to go into the detail of what the next operational steps are, for obvious reasons. This parliament has already tipped its hand enough to the people smugglers. We won't be doing that and compromising our operations. What I can say to inform the Senate of the direct response to the legislation passed this morning is that the government has decided to approve the reopening of the Christmas Island detention centre facilities and a series of compounds, both to deal with the prospect of arrivals as well as dealing with the prospect of transfers. The full cost of those measures, as set out in a declassified briefing, is currently about $1.4 billion. The final cost of all necessary measures will be staged over the ramp-up of those facilities, and that is taking place in accordance with the recommendations from the secretary of Home Affairs. In relation to the implementation of the laws passed through the Senate earlier today, the Prime Minister has asked the Department of Home Affairs for an implementation report. (Time expired)

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

Senator Paterson, a final supplementary question.

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will the passage of the bill impact the Liberal-National government's resolve to ensure that Australia's sovereign borders remain strong?

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

As I said in response to the primary question, our government will not be distracted by the passage of this bill from our absolute resolve to keep our borders secure and to keep our strong border protection framework in place to the best possible ability in the light of the passage of this bill. As I was indicating in relation to the implementation of those laws passed through the Senate earlier today, the Prime Minister has asked the Department of Home Affairs for an implementation report. We will await that report before making further decisions as required as more information about the impact on the ground, overseas and on the seas becomes available.

Our job now is to ensure that the boats don't come. Our job as a government is to do everything we can to ensure that what the parliament has done to weaken our borders does not result in boats coming back to Australia. Our government continues to be responsible for protecting our borders and for protecting the safety and security of Australians. Australians now know they can't trust Bill Shorten with the security of our borders.