Nickolas Varvaris (Barton, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak in favour of this bill, which amends the Customs Act in a number of minor ways to streamline, extend and enhance the way that our customs personnel are able to operate at the border. It goes without saying that our Australian Customs personnel do an indispensable job in maintaining the security of our borders. Whether it is preventing the flow of illicit drugs, minimising losses to revenue—due to smuggling and revenue evasion—protecting industry from non-compliant importers or improving the security of our sea cargo trade, our customs personnel ensure that Australia retains control over its own borders.

Under the Howard Government we saw a gold standard of customs and border protection at work. Significant improvements included the establishment of the Border Protection Command in 2004, increased funding for the Customs Service by 180 per cent, the more efficient processing of arriving international passengers and new drug-detection dog teams all across Australia. Key performance indicators, such as the inspection rate for air cargo consignments, were at a strong 60 per cent. Over the span of the Rudd and Gillard years, these figures dropped dramatically to less than 5 per cent of air cargo consignments inspected. Other figures saw a similar drop, with percentage of sea cargo inspections down to 3.5 per cent from 5.7 per cent and physical examinations of sea cargo down to 0.5 per cent from 0.6 per cent.

This government is determined to pick up where the Howard government left off by restoring customs management to a high standard and making progress on key performance indicators. The decline in the rate of air and sea cargo inspections was one of the most significant and damaging legacies left to our customs performance by the previous government, as it meant that irregular and criminal elements were more likely to slip through the cracks of the customs net, especially as the volume of incoming cargo was projected to rise. At a time when their responsibilities were most demanding, the previous government cut 700 employees from customs services. At a time when our borders faced some of the most significant challenges we have seen in recent times, budgetary cuts of $734.8 million were made, the effects of which will continue to be felt out to 2017-18.

Cuts to the customs cargo-screening program meant that our rate of sea cargo inspections plummeted, leaving our borders less secure because our customs teams were inadequately resourced. This led to an incident in 2012 when 220 Glock pistols were intercepted on Australian soil, not by the customs services, but by the New South Wales Police Force. This was a concerning incident which exposed the holes in front-line services as a result of a deficiency of Commonwealth funding. Reductions in resources, funding and jobs in the area of Customs and Border Protection reflected the misguided priorities at work in the mindset of the previous government. When there are holes in vital front-line services that the Commonwealth funds at our nation's borders, we expose our nation to a greater risk—the risk posed to the community and law-abiding industry by smugglers and crime syndicates.

This bill will ensure that future officers and positions, which come into existence after class based authorisations is given, are allowed, and this will save significant legislative work into the future. This legislation will work to resolve blind spots in our customs activities, extending control to the ports where ships and aircraft arrive—places which may not currently be subject to any customs checks. Greater flexibility in reporting the arrival of ships and aircraft will mean that our custom officers will be able to extend their jurisdiction to all excursions that carry cargo or goods into Australia. The changes brought about by these amendments will ensure that the reporting and inspection mechanisms within the Customs Act are consistent, modern and flexible so that our customs personnel will have an expanded capacity to manage the risks posed to our border security.

The establishment of the streamlined Australian Border Force, announced in May of this year, is proof positive of the forward-thinking approach of the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and his department. Furthermore, under the Abbott government, immigration and customs have been combined into a single cabinet portfolio which has permanent status on the National Security Committee of cabinet. The recently announced funding increase of $630 million to law enforcement and border protection industries is a resounding sign that this government has got its priorities straight when it comes to strengthening the capable work being done at our borders. The Australian Border Force will re-invest the budget savings, which we make in combining Customs and Border Protection responsibilities into a single force, back into the front-line of customs activities—exactly where the resources need to flow to reach key performance indicators.

In summary, the coalition's focus is extending and enhancing our border protection capabilities, rather than rein them in. By streamlining areas where we need greater efficiency and investing in areas where we need an increase in resources, jobs and capacities, the government is bringing a smart and tailored approach to this portfolio for the sake of our border integrity. Just as Howard left office confident that our house was in order and that he had kept the people of Australia safe from the compromise of our borders, I am confident that our work in this place will aspire to the very same standards and even exceed them.

One way in which we are building on the success and innovations of the Howard government is in technological update. Our customs processes are moving with the developments of the 21st century, as applications permissions under the act will be able to be completed online. These amendments will ensure that our customs capabilities advance and refine into the information age. We are determined to deliver results in the sphere of customs and border protection. I am proud to be part of a team who has acted on its word, restoring order on our borders and heeding the will of the Australian people. Our priority is to ensure that our capable Customs and Border Protection personnel have the resources and legislative provisions that they require to do their job to the best of their ability. We want to see an Australia in which sea and air cargo are regularly inspected, in which passengers are facilitated with the utmost efficiency and in which criminal syndicates are met with vigilance and disruption at our border.

This bill is commendable in the action it takes to resolve customs blind spots, such as those places where ships and aircraft regularly arrive in Australia which are not officially proclaimed ports or airports. International flights and voyages will also have domestic legs of their trip eligible for customs checks. This will extend Customs presence and control to these areas, ensuring that fewer blind spots exist that can become an advantage for those who would compromise the integrity of our borders.

The electorate of Barton is a particular stakeholder to the security and efficiency of our port districts and airports. Almost totally surrounded by waterways, including Botany Bay, and immediately adjoined by Sydney Airport to the east, Barton is interconnected with our federal port and customs networks. Notably, Port Botany immediately adjoins my electorate of Barton and holds a strong relevance for the people and industries within my electorate. In 2012-13 alone, 2.1 million containers were traded through the port across both import and export operations. Clearly the people and businesses of Barton stand to gain from maritime security at our ports, as well as a robust system of inspection and screening at our major airports. According to New South Wales Ports' executive summary for 2012-13, import quantities continue to rise on average four per cent per year through the port, as volume of cargo reliably increases at ports all around Australia. This cements our understanding that, when the volume of cargo consignments and passengers coming through our air and sea ports increases, our Customs authorities must be given corresponding increases in resources to maintain their standards of professionalism.

The bottom line in regard to this legislation is that we are moving steadily towards the gold standard of border protection that was at work under the leadership of the Howard government. This bill demonstrates that the priority of this government is to keep our people safe and never to surrender control of our borders. It maintains appropriate safeguards in the interests of privacy and simplicity of travel, while making the security of our borders a priority. And, indeed, it acts on the understanding that the first priority of government is to keep our people safe—to resolve blind spots and to extend our professionalism, efficiency and vigilance in the cause of maintaining and strengthening the integrity of our borders. I commend this bill to the House.

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