Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

You would never know. But the notion of a rush is alive and well. I know those on the other side may be in denial about that. I have a comparison. Yesterday’s boat was found 23 nautical miles from the Tiwi Islands. Of course, 23 nautical miles from the Tiwi islands is pretty close, and I commend Customs for stopping it there, because of the extensive immigration issues that are associated with the vessels. In November 2003, the Minasa Bone, a vessel which had come to the Tiwi Islands, was pushed offshore by the traditional owners, Mr Brown and Gibson Farmer. They called Customs, and what did Customs do? They towed it offshore and said, ‘You have got to go back to Indonesia’, so that is what happened. There is the difference from the one that was 23 nautical miles off there today. They know where they are going. They are coming to Australia because they are going to get the migration outcome that has been promised by the people smugglers. They are selling a pretty good product. The product they are selling says, ‘If you come to Australia under the new regulations you will get to stay. You will get a bit of a sorting out, a few questions for three months. Then you are in, Buddy, and you are in for good.’

We have now got a further softening, I think. It is hard to know how soft you can get on this matter and pretend that you are a rod of iron. We have got Villawood, and we understand from the media today that potentially unauthorised arrivals are going to have access to Australian courts. Keeping them at Villawood is another softening of the policy. We are going to get a whole raft of new administrative appeals from what we had in that dim, distant past when the government that I belonged to, and was so proud to be a part of, changed.

I sympathise with Senator Hanson-Young of the Greens. I understand where she is coming from when she pleads about the difficulties of these people. But we need to understand that when those people set sail and come to Australia they pay people some money to get into a boat. They get into an aeroplane first of all, fly to Malaysia and then go through the process. This is a commercial operation. People say we should feel very sad for the poor buggers when they get here. I do, but what I really feel sad about is the woman who has lived in a Somali refugee camp and whose life only gets better because one of her children dies every month and that is one less mouth to feed. The other four she will possibly be able to look after.

As Australians, we are proud signatories to the UNHCR 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. That says we will take into this country those most in need, and that is who we will take. There is a line. The previous government, the government that I belonged to, was so proud to ensure that taking 13,000 out of that line was the greatest expansion of the humanitarian refugee process in Australia’s history. These people who come to our shores unlawfully displace people who need a place more than them and they put the quarantine of our nation at risk. We need to send a clear signal: do not put your families and children on these ships to come here. We need to send a clear signal, and that signal is not being sent. (Time expired)