Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister update the House on regional cooperation efforts to stop people smuggling? Are there any alternative policies?

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I thank the honourable member for Tangney for his question. Whether people are supporters or opponents of the government, they would have to concede that the government has sent a very clear message to people smugglers that we do not tolerate people smuggling. Despite the fact that there are some people who have been smuggled, we believe, to Australia recently—and that is being dealt with separately—in an overall sense, the government’s policies, which have been tough policies, have had a substantial impact on people-smuggling operations into Australia.

It is worth the House remembering that in 1999 to 2001, about 12,000 people arrived illegally in Australia by boat. By contrast, in 2005-06, 56 people arrived. This has been possible for a number of reasons. But one of those reasons is the good cooperation we have had from neighbouring countries—obviously from Pacific countries, including Nauru, but also from Indonesia. It reflects the strength of Australia’s relationship with Indonesia that we have been as successful as we have been—although we have not been totally successful; nevertheless, a substantial degree of success has been achieved. There are a number of other factors contributing to this success, and one of them has been the decision by the government to excise some of the islands around the north of Australia from the immigration zone.

The honourable member asks if there are any alternatives. I noticed in the Australian newspaper today that the Leader of the Opposition had apparently called together leading figures in the Labor Party in the context of the 80 or so Sri Lankans and said: ‘Let’s close down on this issue. Let’s not talk about it.’ So the member for Watson has been closed down. They do not want to talk about it because they think the public may get wise to the fact that Labor are weak on people smugglers—and that, of course, is what the Labor Party are worried about.

We all know that the Leader of the Opposition has a policy for every occasion, a policy for every position. The Leader of the Opposition wants to give the impression that, on the one hand, he is tough on border protection. But what is his other point? His other point is that the government is too tough on border protection. That is his point: ‘I’m tough on border protection but the government are tough on border protection and that’s why I’m against them.’ The Leader of the Opposition says that existing Labor policy will remain. Existing Labor policy is to set up a coastguard that sails around the coast of Northern Australia and, if it comes across a boat, to guide that boat into Australia.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Dr Nelson interjecting

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is not a coastguard, is it, Mr Speaker? It is a ‘coast guide’ and no doubt, as the Minister for Defence said, a unionised coast guide. The Labor Party wants to repeal the government’s legislation on excision. The Labor Party wants to repeal that policy. Indeed, it will be recalled that, the last time excision legislation was put to the parliament, the Labor Party voted against it.

The opposition leader had a doorstop—the opposition leader loves being in the media; he really likes being the opposition leader because he can be in the media every day—on 23 February and said, ‘Labor’s policy is that if people are interdicted on the high seas then those vessels should be turned around.’ I heard that. Wow! They should be turned around. What is interesting—talking about turning around—is that he did a full 180-degree turnaround himself in the next sentence. He said, ‘If people are on the high seas,’ but then indicated that, if they are going to seek asylum in Australia, they should be taken to Christmas Island for processing. So they are turned around and brought to Christmas Island for processing. Turn them around twice, I suppose, and then they go to Christmas Island for processing. This is the point: the Labor Party is trying to be all things to all people. The Leader of the Opposition has never taken a strong stance in support of any single issue and stuck with it. He just hunts around for the populist position and, of course, the appeasing position for the various factions within the Labor Party.

It is a simple point: you can talk about politics on these issues but, at the end of the day, the serious policy issue is to make sure that we deal with people smuggling. If you do not deal with people smuggling then people will undertake dangerous journeys; they will take risks. People smugglers will drive people into this situation and make money out of it. And, talking about making money, billions of dollars a year are made out of people smuggling. It is in this country’s interest to make sure that we crack down on people smuggling, that we deal with it and that we do it in the most humane way we can but do it in a tough way. The Leader of the Opposition—let’s face it—is weak on border security issues and is frightened that he might be exposed. Well, he is exposed.