Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to remind members in this House that all governments want to keep their citizens safe. That is something that I think we can all agree on. Yet what we see from those opposite are people who want to whip up fear, hate and division. We had 10 years of recklessness from those opposite. They were asleep at the wheel. We are in the process of cleaning up their mess—a decade of waste and neglect, and here we are, having to clean up their mess. I understood when the member for Higgins was saying that we're needing to be alchemists—we're needing to turn the chaos into a systematic way of dealing with government.

The previous member talked about the need for leadership. The thing that I'd say is that what governments do during difficult times is lead. There's also this thing called the High Court and the rule of law, and it's something that we respect on this side of the House. Meanwhile, we know what the reputation of those opposite was. The last time I stood here and talked on a similar matter put forward by the opposition—I'm surprised that we're here. It feels a little like groundhog day, and that's because they have no other policy. So here we are, responding to statements by the opposition that are designed to stoke fear in the community. All of this is about talking tough but not acting tough. They talk it; they don't walk it. The truth is that what we actually need is a government that is prepared to lead.

Those opposite don't have a record to show, because when they were in government they created havoc when it came to border security. There was systemic failure. They broke the rules and they inflicted pain and suffering. Who was in charge at the time? Who was overseeing the mess? Who was responsible? It was the current Leader of the Opposition. He's the one who talks up a tough game but, in reality, is weak. He's weak because he didn't stand up when it mattered to fix the issues that went on in his department. He's weak because, when he found out that a member of his leadership team was advocating for a criminal, he would not remove him. WA senator Dean Smith wrote letters to the minister for immigration, calling for a convicted sex offender to be released from jail. I don't know how that's meant to keep the community safe or why the senator still holds a position of leadership in the Liberal Party now that this information has been revealed. Obviously, the Leader of the Opposition does not think that this is something serious. But does it surprise me? If you think about it, the opposition leader leaves a legacy of a broken immigration system. His legacy left us exposed, and we're trying to fix it: a dysfunctional legal framework and underfunded border security.

Now we have a competent and responsible government. We're getting the job done and working to provide the necessary resources to do it. In doing so, we will follow the rule of law. We will act quickly and responsibly, and we will act to keep the community safe. These are not mutually exclusive. New laws, which were introduced quickly, are keeping us ahead of the game to give us a government that has the necessary powers to keep our citizens safe. We have done this. We have worked hard to do this, putting politics aside and putting people at the centre of government. It's not cheap stunts or cheap grabs, because the Albanese Labor government is above that. We are here to govern. We are here to create a better future for Australians, and we are doing that.

In rejecting this matter of public importance, we affirm our dedication to the governance that transcends political posturing. In the end, what this is about is making sure that our communities are kept safe but also that we respect the rule of law. Sometimes I feel we come back to this place and need to do a lesson 101 on what the role of the High Court is. Nobody in this place is above the law. I'm really proud that we're introducing a National Anti-Corruption Commission. That's because we want to make sure that we act with integrity and represent our citizens to make sure that we keep all people safe. This is something that I'm really proud to be a part of, and I commend the Albanese Labor government on its amazing policies.

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