Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are only two sitting weeks to go before the 14 September election. All Australians are sick to death of the division and chaos of this federal Labor government. The ongoing soap opera between the current Prime Minister and her predecessor, the member for Griffith, is not only an international embarrassment, but it also serves as another reminder of the price we are all paying for a government that is more focused on itself than governing in the national interest.

Yet the irony of all this division and dysfunction is that the Prime Minister and the member for Griffith—and I see him leaving the chamber—are united in so many ways. They are united by the fact that as prime ministers, neither have delivered a surplus. They are united by the fact that both broke election promises on carbon pricing. They are united by the fact that they have jointly been responsible for a failed border protection policy. It is this issue of border protection that I would like to draw to the attention of members this evening.

One of the core responsibilities of any Australian federal government is strong border protection. We are an island with a large land mass but a relatively small population. We proudly boast high-quality health and education services and we strongly believe in a safety net to ensure that everyone gets a fair go. The majority of Australians believe in a hand up, not a hand out. With that in mind, Australians are rightly concerned about how federal Labor has lost control of our borders. We now appear to have become a soft touch for those who can afford to come here illegally by paying people smugglers.

When the former Prime Minister John Howard left office in 2007, there were just four illegal arrivals in detention—four, a stark number. But despite the member for Griffith's pre-election pledges to maintain the Howard government's strong border protection measures, in 2008 he made a prime ministerial call to change the rules and relax the processing procedures for those who arrive illegally by boat. The message to people smugglers could not have been clearer: Australia was once again open for business. People-trafficking for those who have the money to pay was on again. The response was immediate. The fishing boats which were docked in Indonesian villages were ready to go within days.

So today all Australians are now paying the price for federal Labor's broken election promise. Last week's arrival of another 13 boats brought the number of people who have arrived illegally on Labor's watch to more than 43,000—43,000 illegal arrivals from a starting point of just four people in detention when Labor won office in 2011. While the member for Griffith must take responsibility for changing the rules, the reality is that the current Prime Minister made a bad situation worse. On the current Prime Minister's watch, we have seen the endless bungles and media spin which have made us an international embarrassment on border protection.

First, we had the failed so-called 'East Timor solution'. Then we had the botched 'Malaysian solution'. The cost to the Australian taxpayer of Labor's failed border protection policy is over $10 billion—over $10 billion, and with the number of arrivals this year three times higher than over the same period last year, Labor's cost blow-outs show no sign of abating.

But there is another reason why so many Australians are unhappy with the government's weak border protection policy. Many Australians have families overseas, families they would like to be reunited with. In my electorate of Cowper we have a large Indian community which collectively makes a substantial contribution to their local community. We also have an African population who were processed overseas prior to coming to Australia. These Australians have come to Australia legally and are seeking to have other family members come to Australia by applying through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

However the problem is that the tsunami of illegal boat arrivals is soaking up all available places under the government's current quota arrangements. The annual quota is being allocated to those who have arrived illegally. This is hardly fair on those families who are abiding by the law, applying for immigration permits through legitimate channels. What type of message are we sending to both Australian citizens and the illegal asylum seekers when we allow those who can afford to pay for their illegal passage to be given precedence over those who seek to come here legally? The answer is that question lies at the heart of what is wrong with this government. Whether it is the current Prime Minister or the member for Griffith who leads the ALP, the truth is that federal Labor has been so focused on itself that it has lost touch with ordinary Australians and the fact is that we are all paying the price. (Time expired)