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

I can understand why the Manager of Opposition Business would be so reluctant to hear the answer to this question, because when he was minister for immigration his record for boats turning up in Australia is that he could not get past six days. Six days was the longest period of time when he was the minister that we went without a boat turning up.

I am going to refer to the Human Rights Commissioner, Gillian Triggs, and this is what she had to say today: 'There is an objective fact here that by using border patrols, by using Customs officers and military officers, we have physically stopped the boats.' That is what she says. She goes on: 'One has to accept the physical fact that the boats have been stopped from landing on Christmas Island or being brought to Christmas Island. I think we also in fairness have to accept that it is very likely that many lives have been saved at sea.' So, that is clear.

I can update the House that it is 95 days since our last successful people-smuggling venture. During the same 95 days last year, there were 55 boats and 3,116 people who turned up. The people, the policies and the resolve are what is producing these results. It is a position of conviction, not convenience, that drives the policies and those on this side of the House. As for those on the other side of the House, well their heart was just never in it when they were in government, and it seems that nothing has changed. I read—

See this speech in context