Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind her that since Friday seven boats carrying 500 people have been intercepted off Christmas Island, adding to the over 10,000 people arriving illegally this year. Given that more than 10,000 people have been released into the community without appropriate ASIO security checks already, what guarantee can the Prime Minister give that the community is as safe today as it was under the former government?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What we see from the opposition is the cheapest playing of politics. Indeed, when the shadow minister for immigration raised similar spectres to this he was quickly repudiated by members of the opposition backbench and the shadow Treasurer refused to associate himself with those remarks. So it will be interesting to see today whether or not opposition members of goodwill are prepared to associate themselves with the implications of the Leader of the Opposition's question.

What the Leader of the Opposition well knows is the following: No. 1—he came to the parliament and voted for more boats; No. 2—the Australian government, of course, operates a system where there are detention arrangements and security work undertaken. The Leader of the Opposition knows that. For the Leader of the Opposition to try to raise fear and alarm in the community about these matters is truly disgraceful, one of the new lows in Australian politics, and I trust he will not continue down this ugly path and, if he does, that those members of the opposition who have been prepared to stand up and be counted for decency in the past will do it again.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Does the Prime Minister seriously maintain that her government's cuts to our security agencies have had no impact on their ability to carry out security checks on illegal boat arrivals when the member for Holt clearly does not believe her?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To the Leader of the Opposition, I know when you are so engaged in the politics of fearmongering you have to suspend any engagement with the facts. But no amount of fearmongering by the Leader of the Opposition, no amount of playing this kind of despicable politics, will change the facts. I have been through the facts once in the House today but I suggest to the Leader of the Opposition that instead of just reading the next question he actually stops for a moment, takes a breath and listens to what I have to say.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Mackellar is warned. Question time is actually a time to listen to answers. The Prime Minister has the call.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There we have it. The responsible approach of the opposition on display! If you say the word 'facts', they say the word 'never' because they know if they absorb the facts that it undercuts their claims. Let the Leader of the Opposition listen to this.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order—

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Minister for Community and Family Affairs is not assisting and is warned. I will not take gratuitous advice any longer from anybody.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a serious point. The Prime Minister has misled the House. She has said to the House that the ASIO budget has increased, that the ASIO report, page 9—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kooyong will resume his seat. There are other forms of the House in which to raise that concern. The Prime Minister has the call and will be heard in silence.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The facts are the facts and the facts are these: government funding has increased for ASIO from $291 million in 2007-08 to $369 million in 2013-14. This represents a funding increase of 27 per cent, a fact.

Opposition members interjecting—

Over the same period, the average staffing levels—for those who are yelling, and I know the facts do not suit you but these are the facts—have increased by 32 per cent. They are the facts. The Leader of the Opposition should stop misrepresenting them and this despicable— (Time expired)

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I have a second supplementary. I refer to the remarks of the member for Holt who said:

… agencies are tasked to protect our national security and I, frankly, find it astonishing that these agencies would have been effectively sequestered from funding to perform their tasks. I think it is disgraceful and it should be addressed.

Why does the Prime Minister deny that funding has been cut and the capacity has— (Time expired)

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition may be startled to learn that there is a budget delivered every year. He may not have followed that. But there is a budget delivered every year. The parliamentary review tabled yesterday relates to the 2010-11 budget. Instead of shouting, the Leader of the Opposition might want to listen. Which budget has been delivered in the course of this parliamentary session? Well, it is the 2013-14 budget. What do you see in the 2013-14 budget? A 10 per cent rise in funding for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Then, if you want to take a broader view and say what has happened from the period in which the government came to office to now, that leads you to the figure of a 27 per cent increase in funding. If you say to yourself, how many people does that mean at task in ASIO, that leads you to the figure of a 32 per cent increase in the number of staff there doing important work. Nothing the Leader of the Opposition can say or do, nothing he can shout, no spectre that he can raise of fear in our community changes those facts and I direct the Leader of the Opposition's attention to them.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the Leader of the Opposition seeking to table a document?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I seek leave to table the speech yesterday from the member for Holt describing these matters as disgraceful and compromising national security.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Leader of the House, is leave granted to table the document?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek your clarification, Speaker.

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! As I said gratuitous advice is wearing very thin. The Leader of the House has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek your advice, Speaker, over whether it is possible even to table Hansard in Hansard.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is not granted.