George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Minister, how many days have passed since the last successful people smuggling venture to Australia? How many days passed between successful people smuggling ventures under the previous border protection regime?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Dawson for his question and I am sure the people of Western Australia will also be interested in the answer to this question. It has been 89 days since the last successful people smuggling venture. If the Leader of the Opposition does not want to believe me maybe he would like to refer to the ABC website which has kept a log, since the election of this government, on how many boats have arrived and how many successful people smuggling ventures have occurred. They began the log after the election and I table it. I must say, I have not kept them very busy over the last 89 days. If they were performing that task under the previous government it would have been one of the biggest make-work schemes that existed under that government. It has been 89 days without boats, and it is six months since the front bench of this government was sworn in. Under this government, there have been more weeks without boats than with boats. I am sure that those who watched the 7.30 program last night, if they listened to what was said about our Navy, about Australia and about threats and 9-11 and all of that, would be very happy that this government is doing exactly what we said it would do when it comes to our borders.

I was asked about what had happened under previous border protection regimes. It was not always the case that you would have had 89 days without a successful venture. I can tell you that, when Senator Chris Evans was the Minister for Immigration, the longest consecutive period of no boats coming was 61 days—61 days is not bad. It went downhill after that, I have to say. When the now shadow Treasurer was immigration minister, the record was 23 days—not bad, though, according to the standard set by those who followed. Both the member for Gorton and the now Manager of Opposition Business: six days. They could not get through a week without a boat turning up on their watch. They tried everything under their policies except the policies that worked. They did everything but turn boats back where it was safe to do so, which is the policy and practice of this government. They did everything they could do except what actually worked in concert. They did everything possible without doing the things that actually worked.

Mr Marles interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Corio will desist.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They still today in the Senate refuse to support this government's mandate to deny permanent visas to people who come illegally by boat to this country. They still think it is a good idea to honour the people smugglers' promise and give people who have come to this country illegally by boat a permanent visa to this country. No wonder the people of Australia do not know where those opposite stand on these issues. They know where we stand. Those opposite are a complete blank page.