Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question, although I think it again indicates a worrying trend—that the Liberal Party are going down the path of fear and fear mongering in the Australian community. Senator Ellison well knows that the Rudd Labor government remain absolutely committed to strong border security measures. We have made that very clear. We have maintained the excision arrangements; we have maintained the strong border security patrols by Defence, Customs and other law enforcement agencies; and we have continued to work very closely with the Indonesian government and other near neighbours on the issue of ensuring that people do not seek to sail to Australia in leaky boats, putting their lives at risk, and enter Australia unlawfully.

Senator Ellison is also aware that, immediately on becoming minister, I went to Indonesia to have those discussions and to strengthen those relations. He is also well aware that, when he sought to do a similar trip, we provided as much support as we could to ensure that occurred, because it is important that we send the message to the region that there is a bipartisan approach from the government and the alternative government to strong border security and to deterring people from leaving to seek arrival in an unauthorised way in Australia, and that we send a very strong message to people-smugglers that they ought not try to ply their trade. We have received great cooperation from the Indonesian government in fighting people-smuggling. There have been a number of really encouraging developments in that regard in recent times, including the arrests of a couple of people-smugglers and a lot of effective work in dealing with people-smuggling activities.

There is no doubt that we still face the prospect of more unauthorised boat arrivals in coming months. This is the season for that activity to occur. There are huge pressures on populations of displaced persons throughout Asia and the Middle East. There is a potential population of people prepared to seek refuge who may embark on journeys with people-smugglers.

What I announced this week was that we were abolishing the temporary protection visa regime. We are very proud of that, because it was an inhumane treatment of people found to be refugees by international legal principle. The previous government maintained a Pacific strategy—a means by which people were detained in foreign countries in camps designed to send the message that people could not enter this country unlawfully. It was a cruel and ineffective policy.