Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister inform the House who within the government is responsible for decisions regarding the Oceanic Viking and will the Prime Minister guarantee that no Australian crew members will be ordered to use force to remove the 75 asylum seekers now onboard?

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

I thank the member for Murray for her question. I assume she is not referring to a different vessel, but in fact to the Oceanic Viking. I say to the honourable member in response to the two parts of her question that the operational decision-making concerning this and all other matters concerning people-smuggling lie, as is normal, between the national security adviser in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the associated other government agencies and departments, including the Customs and Border Protection Service, Defence where necessary, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship where necessary, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as you would expect.

As to the second part of the honourable member’s question—as to the disembarkation of individuals from the Oceanic Viking to the port within Indonesia—I am sure that will be handled as appropriately as possible by Australian and Indonesian personnel in what will be a very difficult operation. Let us be frank about it. We are dealing with a complex, difficult and challenging set of circumstances. I have confidence that our men and women who are working in these professional agencies will discharge their professional responsibilities with the greatest degree of skill, tact and humanity that they can, but this is a very difficult situation.

The government, as I have said before, is completely consistent in its approach to its overall attitude to immigration, which is that we will proceed with a hardline policy as far as people-smugglers are concerned, and a humane approach to asylum seekers. I say again to the member for Murray, as she has asked the question: were those opposite in power at the time that this vessel issued a distress call and we received a request under the relevant provisions of international maritime law, are they seriously suggesting that, having received a request from the Indonesian search and rescue authority, we should not have acted?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I hear the intervention from those opposite: ‘They would not have come in the first place.’ What happened with the 15,000 who did—

Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Obviously it is about the relevance of this new line. What we want to know is whether force will be—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Murray will resume her seat. The point of order is on relevance. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

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

In response to the two parts of the member for Murray’s question, as I said in the first case we deal with these things through the coordination of the National Security Adviser, as you would expect. Secondly, on the question of the appropriate handling of persons in difficult circumstances, that will be done professionally and as humanely as possible, in difficult and trying circumstances, by our professional staff together with the Indonesians at the relevant port in Indonesia.

I always reflect at times like this when those opposite ask these questions, out of what ultimate script book it comes. Of course we had a question in this place yesterday, addressed to the minister for infrastructure, about a particular script book being used on the part of those opposite. It actually went to the whole question of stereotyping. Those opposite, in their tactical handbook, which was deployed by critical advisers who are currently in attendance here in the chamber today—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has approached the dispatch box seeking the call. She is being denied by those behind her.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question was about what is happening aboard the Oceanic Viking with a 78 asylum seekers on board. The line of personal attack the Prime Minister is undertaking now is—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

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

Again, I thank the member for Murray for her question. I assume that she has been guided by such things as: ‘You don’t get news stories by trying to change perceptions; you get them by reinforcing stereotypes.’ It is not our document those opposite disseminated from the office of the Leader of the Opposition in recent days. I assume that that dictates the politics of this debate in this chamber as well.