Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Immigration. Will the minister update the House on the government's policies under Operation Sovereign Borders to stop illegal boat arrivals, and on how regaining control of Australia's borders has affected the budget bottom line?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hughes, my good friend and colleague from the Shire. I also want to thank the Treasurer for his comments regarding our performance in the border protection portfolio. The Treasurer and I have many things in common, and one thing we have in common is backbone. The backbone you have seen displayed on our borders is the same backbone this Treasurer has put into the budget. That is in stark contrast to what we saw from those opposite.

I can update the House. It will come as no surprise to the House, I am sure, that since my update yesterday there have still been no successful people-smuggling ventures to Australia, and we are now in our sixth successive month of that being the case.

But it was not always thus. I am glad the Treasurer saw fit to reference the performance of the member for Watson and the performance of the member for McMahon—and I could even go to the member for Gorton—when it comes to backbone, or lack thereof, and their performance on the borders. I will remind the House. When the member for Watson was Minister for Immigration, 68 boats turned up—a total of 5,358 people. And he was only there for a couple of months! When the member for Gorton was Minister for Immigration, 183 boats turned up—a total of 12,386 people. That is what happened under the member for Gorton.

Mr Marles interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Corio is warned.

Mr Marles interjecting—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under the member for McMahon, 398 boats arrived.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Corio is warned.

Mr Marles interjecting—

The member for Corio will remove himself for one hour under 94(a).

The member for Corio then left the chamber—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I am reminding the House about the record of the member for McMahon when he was the Minister for Immigration—398 vessels and 24,447 arrivals. What we will see from the member for McMahon if he were ever to become the Treasurer again is the same backbone that he showed in immigration he would apply to the budget. That is what we are seeing in his response to this budget.

I can update the House that it is true that $2½ billion is the saving in this budget from our successful border protection policies. At the last election, those opposite were forecasting 33,000 arrivals over the budget and forward estimates based on their current policies at the election—enough to fill Simonds Stadium, which is the home stadium of the member for Corio. That would have cost this budget $7 billion. Our border protection policies are working for Australia and the Treasurer's budget is working for Australia—and that is how it will remain.