Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Senator Evans) to a question without notice asked by Senator Ellison today relating to border protection.

In July this year the government released a new policy in relation to mandatory detention and I know that the government has been trying to downplay it ever since by saying that there has been no real change. Of course, that is not the fact at all. In fact, at estimates this year I questioned Senator Evans and he started by saying:

Just to correct the record, there was no change in the policy on mandatory detention.

He then went on to say:

There were some changes to the values to be applied in detention centres. I am not trying to say there was not a change.

Now which is it? Is there a change or is there not a change?

Close examination of the government’s changes shows that there is the potential to release from detention someone who has arrived here unlawfully if they pose ‘no danger to the community’. That was contained in a press release on 29 July by Senator Evans. To quote directly, he stated:

A person who poses no danger to the community will be able to remain in the community while their visa status is resolved. The department will have to justify why a person should be detained.

So what we have is a distinct relaxation of the policy in relation to mandatory detention—that is, after health checks, security checks and other initial checks are carried out, the person can then be released. This is the clear message that is being received.

In today’s press we have a report about International Organisation for Migration chief Steve Cook. He told the Australian that:

… smugglers had tracked the policy changes and there had been a dramatic surge in smuggling in the past 12 months.

In fact, he said:

People smugglers have clearly noted that there has been a change in policy and they’re testing the envelope.

Similarly, the Deputy Commissioner of Criminal Investigation of the Indonesian National Police said that there was a problem with people smuggling. He said:

… the number of boat crossings to Australia had increased, particularly in recent months.

When you look at the statistics over the past few years, they tell a dramatic story indeed. In fact, in 2000-01 and 2001-02 we had some 4,137 people arrive illegally in the first year and 1,212 in the second year. As a result of strong border protection by the Howard government, that went to zero in the next year.

It is interesting to average the arrivals we have had since 2002. If you do the figures from 2002-03 through to 2007-08, we have an average of around two boats or the equivalent of 47 people per year. What have we seen since July this year when the Rudd government announced its relaxation of mandatory detention? We have seen four boats arriving in Australia and some 55 arrivals. That is a clear increase, in five months, on the total of the previous year and a clear increase of that average I mentioned over previous years. Of course we have had not only a change to policy but also funding cuts to Navy, to Border Protection Command and to Customs. Across the board we have had a funding cut to the border protection of this country so that we have a double-pronged initiative diminishing the border protection of this country. We have a change in the immigration policy of this country and we have a logistical diminution of border protection.

I mentioned that in the questions to Senator Evans and he said that he was going to carry out an investigation as a result of the recent arrival in Shark Bay. That is why I asked him what he has done to seek assurances from Customs that they have not cut their patrols and that Border Protection Command has not diminished its surveillance of our coastline? It is very interesting to see—and I put the government on notice in relation to this—what has happened to their coastguard policy that they have championed so loudly over the last few years. Where has their commitment to border protection gone? It has gone nowhere because they have cut border protection and changed our strong immigration policy, thus sending a green light and a message to potential people smugglers in the region that Australia’s borders are now ‘open for business’.