Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. On 13 November, in between releasing criminals, the minister told the House that he had 'issued visas to impacted individuals with appropriate conditions to ensure that community safety can be upheld'. Last night the Department of Home Affairs revealed it had always advised these conditions would be unenforceable. Asked why, they said, 'I think you would have to ask the ministers for an explanation.' Can the minister please explain—

A government member: Time!

why he misled the House?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Notwithstanding the questionable nature of the start of the question, by trying to turn it into a speech, the speaking time elapsed before a question had been asked.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'll hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was perfectly clear what the question was. You allow plenty of latitude on the speaking times from the government, so it's appropriate that there be a bipartisan approach on this.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I'll deal with this matter. I'm going to allow the question. I did hear the question, but this is the position going forward: I don't want anyone calling out 'time' again—on both sides. It happens all the time. There's got to be some discretion allowed by the chair. If people want the exact timing enforced, it will happen, but I'm going to remind all opposition questioners, and the crossbench and ministers as well, to respect the time limits.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow minister for the question. I remind him, too, that the release of detainees was required by the decision of the High Court in November. It was required.

In response to that, we took a range of steps to ensure the Australian community was kept safe, including immediately setting up Operation AEGIS. We saw the coordination of the ABF, the AFP, and state and territory law enforcement authorities. We've put in place stringent visa conditions, and we moved to change the law to criminalise breaches of those visa conditions as part of the four layers of protection we now have in place: stringent visa conditions, electronic monitoring and curfews, community safety orders—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will pause. The minister was talking about the conditions and about the question. I'm going to listen to the member for Wannon.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I only want to advise that those conditions—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. The member for Wannon, as is common in this House, is a serial offender when it comes to coming to the dispatch box and just speaking. He's been here for a very long time. This is the last time—

Fourteen years, I'm advised by the member for Riverina.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! Everyone's helping today! I'm going to remind the member for Wannon: this is the last time. You simply can't get to the dispatch box and start speaking. You will get the call, just state the point of order. Silence is going to continue so I can hear the minister.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, we've put in place four layers of protection. We've also set up the Community Protection Board to advise government on the appropriate measures to manage this cohort that we were required to release into the community. We've also done something that the former government did not do, and that is that we've made a real investment in immigration compliance—a quarter of billion dollars. This is in sharp contrast to decisions taken by the Leader of the Opposition, who halved the compliance function.