Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The only problem that the Pacific solution solved was the Liberal Party’s predisposition to find the next scare campaign, about which the member for Berowra now, interestingly, interjects. The success of the Pacific solution was in many respects trumpeted by those opposite as an effective response to the real problem of asylum seekers. In fact, it did no such thing if you examine carefully the global statistics from the time. That is myth No. 1.

What is myth No. 2? Myth No. 2 from the Liberal Party is that this government’s new tough and humane immigration policy caused the current increase in asylum seekers arriving in Australia. That is exactly what they argue day in, day out on the doors and in the particular form of expression used by the member for Murray, the member for O’Connor and other members with a similar approach to these questions. Unfortunately, once again, this claim is simply false when compared again against the global figures. Between 2005 and 2008, the number of Iraqis claiming asylum globally increased from 14,000 to 42,000—an increase of 193 per cent. Between 2005 and 2008, the number of Sri Lankans claiming asylum globally increased from 5,000 to nearly 10,000—an increase of in excess of 75 per cent. Between 2005 and 2008, the number of Afghans claiming asylum globally increased from 7,000 to 18,000, a 139 per cent increase.

The increase in asylum seekers we are experiencing in Australia is happening at exactly the same time everywhere across the world. It is happening in Australia, it is happening in the United Kingdom, it is happening in Europe and it is happening around the world. When the global asylum claims go up around the world they also go up for Australia; when they go down around the world they also go down for Australia. That is myth No. 2.

Let us explore myth No. 3, which goes to the purported implication by the member for Murray, among others, that they have advocated a different policy in the past since this government has been elected. This is a very interesting point indeed because every time the Liberal Party get to their feet on the question of asylum seekers there is always a bit of a wink-wink, nudge-nudge that they actually have represented a different approach in the period since the last election. Let us subject this to a little scrutiny as well and actually go to the detail. When the government chose to abolish temporary protection visas, what did those opposite do? They did nothing. They did not vote against it one bit—absolute inaction. They now, however, seek to pretend that something was different.

Let us go to the other one, which is the whole question of an alternative policy which was considered by the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Migration. The committee recommended that, as a priority, the Australian government introduce amendments to the Migration Act—

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