Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yohanes Humiang, the captain of a asylum seeker boat, is reported in the media as saying, 'As captain I got $6,000, the five crew got $5,000 each.' When will the Prime Minister send a clear and unambiguous message to people smugglers that Australian vessels are not floating ATMs?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The clear and unambiguous message from Australia to people smugglers is, 'Do not come; you will never get here,' because we will use whatever means are possible within the law to stop them, as we have. The message from members opposite to the people smugglers was, 'Come on over!' There are some complaints from members opposite that apparently some payments may have been made. I am not going to comment on any operational security matters. I never do and I never would.

I did read in one of the papers that when members opposite were in government, they sought and were given $21 million to pay to people smugglers and to other people in Indonesia; $21 million, it was said in the newspapers, were sought by the Rudd government to disrupt people smugglers' operations. It did not work. I heard the former Prime Minister saying very sanctimoniously last night, 'We never made any payments to people smugglers to secure turnbacks.

They never did a turnback. They never did a single Turnbull. They promised to do turnbacks; they never did them.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

There will be silence on my left.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order to point out that he is the one who did a Turnbull.

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

Do not try my patience. The Prime Minister has the call.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They always laugh when they are embarrassed. They do not know where they stand on turnbacks. They do not know where they stand on securing our country against terrorists. They do not know where they stand on fiscal responsibility. This is a Labor opposition that does not know where it stands on anything. It cannot be trusted with border security, it cannot be trusted with national security and it cannot be trusted with budget security either.

Dr Chalmers interjecting—

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

The member for Rankin seems eager to leave.