Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Will the minister update the House on steps the government is taking to strengthen the requirements for obtaining Australian citizenship? What are the benefits of having a strong and consistent approach to national security?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Tangney for the work he is doing not only in this place but also in his electorate. In fact, he was one of the members who came to see me today on behalf of constituents they were representing, and we were talking about the strengthening of the citizenship provisions because we do believe it is important at this point in time that we modernise the citizenship arrangements in this country. We want to make sure that we provide citizenship to those people who are most deserving, who want to abide by Australian laws and by Australian values, and to those people who will want to work hard, will want to send their kids to school and will take the opportunity afforded to them by a new start in our country. He, like all members in this House, will applaud those five million people who since 1949 have taken up Australian citizenship to make our country the great country that it is today.

It is quite astounding that when the government puts forward changes to strengthen the citizenship arrangements in this country those opposite come out in opposition to those very necessary changes. I think there is a complete lack of leadership from the Leader of the Opposition. At the moment, various members from presumably the left of the Labor Party are out there criticising what are sensible changes that will strengthen the citizenship laws in this country. And, do you know what? Most of them are the same people who opposed us in relation to Operation Sovereign Borders, which was to stop the boats, stop drownings at sea and get children out of detention. It is quite amazing, nonetheless not surprising, that the Leader of the Opposition did not show leadership then and he is not showing the leadership now to pull those people into line. So why did Labor fail? Why did they allow in 50,000 people on 800 boats? Because this Leader of the Opposition does not have the mettle or the determination to be the leader of this country. That is the reality, and he is demonstrating it again today, because he has not had one word of criticism in relation to those that sit behind him that have come out to criticise.

There is a very special contributor to this debate—that is, the member for Scullin. Not many people will know who he is, but he sits far away from most of these people because, frankly, I think they are embarrassed by some of the comments that he has made. In relation to the citizenship changes, I see that he has tweeted:

This is a shameful abdication of responsibility.

What, the government of the day making sure that we are allowing the right people to become citizens of this country? That is an abdication, somehow, of our responsibility?

Mr Giles interjecting—

But he also said, as it turns out, at the ALP conference—listen to this—in relation to boats:

… I do disagree with you when it comes to turn-backs and I'll say very briefly why, comrades. I am unconvinced by their effectiveness.

He is one of the clueless many on the opposite side. He is off running around with these dangerous lines. This is what gets people smugglers back into business, these sorts of irresponsible lines, and if this Leader of the Opposition is ever elected the boats will restart. (Time expired)

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Scullin made very unparliamentary remarks about the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left will not interject.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He should be required to withdraw them—and he was not in his seat when he was making them either.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.