Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Given that the coalition said it would introduce a boat buyback scheme in Indonesia, why hasn't the government bought a single Indonesian boat, completely ignoring this election promise?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to be getting so many questions from the opposition today because it certainly makes for a very swift and efficient question time, doesn't it, Madam Speaker? It makes for a very swift and efficient question time. I think there will be a record number of questions answered today.

Our fundamental commitment was to stop the boats. That was our fundamental commitment. While I would not want to pretend to this parliament that the boats have entirely stopped, they certainly are stopping. Aren't members opposite so embarrassed that their shameful record on border protection is rapidly becoming a thing of the past under this government? This government are cleaning up the border protection disaster and absolute mess that we inherited. Never let it be forgotten the record of members opposite—55,000 illegal arrivals by boat, $11 billion in border protection blow-outs and, tragically, 1,000 deaths at sea. We stand by all our commitments. We stand by all our policies. Above all else, we stand by the commitment to stop the boats.