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

Senator Abetz says it is always good when you are never to blame. I suggest to Senator Abetz that he think about the proposition that somehow domestic policies are driving these arrivals. On that basis you would have to blame the Howard government for the 10,000 arrivals that occurred around 2001. That is the logic of your position. If you are not prepared to do that, then you have to re-examine your position. What happened following that period is that, when things settled in Afghanistan, people were able to be returned to Afghanistan. The large change that occurred was the capacity for people to return safely to Afghanistan, and the UNHCR started that process.

What this country is seeing at the moment is an increase in arrivals of people from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, in particular, as a result of the worsening situation in those countries. It is an international problem. We are committed to international action to try and stem the people smugglers. We have invested more in border security than ever before, and we will continue the fight against people smugglers. (Time expired)