House debates

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Questions without Notice

National Security

2:08 pm

Photo of Ted O'BrienTed O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question goes to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister update the House on the importance of strong and consistent border protection policies based on the advice of our national security agencies? And is the minister aware of any alternative approaches that would weaken our national border sovereignty and put at risk people's lives at sea?

2:09 pm

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | | Hansard source

That's a great question from the member for Fairfax, because he, like all members in this parliament and the Australian public, understand the history of border protection in this country. When John Howard left office in 2007 there were four people in detention—

Ms Butler interjecting

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Griffith is warned.

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | | Hansard source

including no children; 50,000 people arrived on 800 boats—

Ms Butler interjecting

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Griffith will leave under 94(a). She was just warned 10 seconds earlier.

The member for Griffith then left the chamber .

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | | Hansard source

Under Labor, 50,000 people arrived on 800 boats; 1,200 people, including women and children, drowned at sea; and 8,000 children were put into detention. Did the Labor Rudd and Gillard governments listen to the intelligence agencies? No, they did not. They had advice not to change the policies that John Howard had put in place, but they ignored the advice of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies. We know that Labor has learnt nothing since that time.

In December the Leader of the Opposition instructed 19 of his senators to vote for a reckless bill that will restart boats, and he did it without advice. That was bad enough. This week the Leader of the Opposition took a security briefing, eventually. He was given certain advice in relation to the bill proposed by him and the Greens and he chose to ignore the specific advice given to him by the director-general of ASIO, by the Chief of the Defence Force, by the general in charge of Operation Sovereign Borders and by the head of my department. If anybody has any doubts about what Labor would be like in relation to border protection—if people thought that maybe the Labor Party had learnt their lesson over the last six years—

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Eden-Monaro is now warned.

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting

The member for Eden-Monaro is warned!

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | | Hansard source

Perhaps they thought that Minister Shorten was going to support the government on Operation Sovereign Borders.

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Eden-Monaro has been warned.

Photo of Peter DuttonPeter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | | Hansard source

Let me say to those people: have no doubt that this man sitting opposite me is not fit to be the Prime Minister of this country. Let there be no doubt about that at all. He has taken a reckless course of action that will see coming from Manus Island people who have been accused of being in sexual relationships with 14-year-old girls. There is a person who stands accused of murder in Iran. Under the Labor Party's proposal they will have a right of entry into our country.

Opposition members interjecting

They can scream all they like. They are the facts. Far from standing strong on borders, this Leader of the Opposition has demonstrated that he is even worse, that he is even weaker, than Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard combined. (Time expired)