House debates Questions without Notice
Migration
Karen Andrews McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs
2:38 pm
ANDREWS () (): My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. It is a privilege, not a right, to be welcomed as a guest to our country. In government, the coalition cancelled more than 10,000 visas of dangerous noncitizens who posed a threat to the Australian community. Minister, how many visas have you cancelled under the character provisions of the Migration Act?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Government Members:
Government members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
Order, members on my right!
Order! The member for Cooper will cease interjecting.
The member for Barker will leave the chamber under 94(a).
The member for Barker then left the chamber.
Andrew Giles Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
2:39 pm
I thank the shadow minister for home affairs for her question. As she would be well aware, we on this side of the House, when we were in opposition, supported the 2014 changes to the 'character cancellation regime'.
Jason Wood La Trobe, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs
No, you didn't, not the 2014. The 2019—
Andrew Giles Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
As the member for La Trobe should remember, because he was in this place, we supported, in 2014, the changes introduced by the former government to the character cancellation regime. We believe it is important that we cancel visas where appropriate—that we deny visas and cancel visas as appropriate.
We also think that this is an area where a commonsense approach is required because we have seen unintended consequences of the regime that was put in place by the former government. We have been working through those, having regard in particular to the critical importance of our relationship with our good friends in New Zealand. These are issues—
Opposition members interjecting—
These are issues—
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
Take it on notice if you don't know. Can you answer a basic question?
Andrew Giles Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
These are issues that should be of significance to the Leader of the Opposition, who put a wrecking ball through the immigration portfolio when he was minister. He built an edifice around himself instead of focusing on the national interest, particularly on questions like this, which should be beyond this cheap partisan politics.
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
How many people?
Andrew Giles Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
After all this time—
Opposition members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! The minister will resume his seat. We'll just pause and I'll hear from—
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
Find the number, for God's sake.
Milton Dick Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting so I can hear from the member for McPherson.
Karen Andrews McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs
The point of order is on relevance. The question clearly requires a number, and we are a minute and a half into the answer and we haven't received the number.
Milton Dick Speaker
I thank the member for McPherson.
Government members interjecting—
Order! Members on my right! The member for Paterson is warned! I'll hear from the Leader of the House.
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Mr Speaker, the preamble clearly made every part of this answer relevant to the question that was asked.
Milton Dick Speaker
When a specific question is asked—and we've had this before with 'yes' or 'no' or a specific number—the minister needs to be relevant to the question. I'll ask him to return to the question to make sure that he is addressing the member for McPherson's concerns. I give him the call.
Andrew Giles Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
Thank you, Speaker. I am sure, like all ministers for immigration—and, indeed, ministers for home affairs, who also have responsibilities in this area, as the shadow minister would know—I make these decisions on the basis of the law and the materials before me. What is so disappointing here is that everyone in this parliament recognises the policy grounds we have that go to visa grants and, indeed, to the cancellation of visas of noncitizens who should not be in the community, who present a range of risks. These are not issues that should be shamelessly politicised.
Indeed, many issues, Mr Speaker, that go to the operation of our migration system go to the shameless politicisation of this regime by members opposite over nine years of neglect. I actually expected a bit more of the shadow minister for home affairs, because one thing that should unite every member of this place is a concern for the safety of the Australian community. The fact that members opposite seem entirely unconcerned about this is, frankly, disappointing. From the last election they have learned absolutely nothing. Perhaps they could consider how we could work together in the national interest on these questions, instead of engaging in this shameless, shameless scaremongering.
Honourable members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! When the House comes to order I'll hear from the member for Canberra.