Damian Drum (Murray, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Will the minister update the House on reforms the government has announced to strengthen the processes around obtaining Australian citizenship? Why is it important that those aspiring to be Australians share Australian values, and is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question and thank him for being a champion in this parliament for Australian values and asking no more of people than that they abide by Australian laws if they want to be an Australian citizen. The government has been very deliberate, as we have discussed in recent weeks, that we do want to make sure that, if people want to become Australian citizens, we want them to abide by Australian laws, we want them to abide by Australian values and we want them to provide for their families in the same way that many hundreds of thousands of people who have come here as migrants under the refugee and humanitarian program, for example, should continue to contribute into the future.

It is not every day that I quote the Fairfax press, but today I feel compelled. Do you know why, Mr Speaker? As it turns out, the Labor Party are not only tearing themselves apart on border protection policy; they are tearing themselves apart on what I think is a pretty fundamental and easy question to answer—that is: do you support the government's position in relation to enhancing our citizenship changes? As it turns out, they do not.

Dr Aly interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cowan is warned.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As it turns out, not only is the Leader of the Opposition unable to muster the leadership capacity to draw the Left and the Right together to support a sensible border protection policy; it now turns out that the Left, under the member for Grayndler, is mounting some sort of insurgent behaviour against the Leader of the Opposition on this fundamental issue. It seems that this civil war that has broken out between the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Grayndler has found a new home in relation to the citizenship test. I think it is a basic question that most Australians can answer. For example, if people want to become Australian citizens, should they have an adequate level of English proficiency? Should that be a basic test? Yes, it should, and that is the feedback we have had around the country. But do the Labor Party support that or oppose it? Well, some of them support it, but others oppose it.

The problem is that the Leader of the Opposition has no clue which way to land this issue. The trouble is that this civil war in the Labor Party is going to continue. It will continue. Where there is smoke, there is fire when it comes to the member for Grayndler. I like that he was cuddling up beside the Leader of the Opposition before for the photo for the Saturday papers. He knows what is going on here, and he is fanning the fire. Most Australians are completely bewildered. They think this Leader of the Opposition is not the genuine bloke that he pretends to be. Do you know what? They are dead right. (Time expired)

Ms Burney interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barton will cease interjecting.

Mr Dutton interjecting—

Ms Burney interjecting—

The minister will cease interjecting. I have already asked the member for Barton to cease interjecting. No-one seems to want to give the member for Port Adelaide a go. The member for Port Adelaide has the call.