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

Indeed. And then he said that they are accepting asylum seekers and, ‘God willing, they will win the next election.’ It is absolutely clear that it is the policies that are ensuring that we are driving innocent people into the hands of international criminals, who are the people smugglers. Of course, that environment is being caused by people who are in complete denial that it is their policies that are driving this movement.

It is not only the tragic cost in lives; it is a great cost to our economy. They are in complete denial about the numbers. More people have arrived this month than arrived in total during the last six years of the Howard government, once our full suite of measures were in place. One month and there were more than the entire last six years of the Howard government! It is absolutely appalling, and it is due, clearly, to those policies.

But as I said, the policies have cost us on a number of fronts. Senator Evans has decided that forecasted illegal boat arrivals are going to drop by 60 per cent in the next two weeks. He was not all that confident—he said:

I am not very confident that we can with any surety say that the 2,000 figure that is used for accounting purpose in that budget paper can be supported.

He does not believe it; he does not even believe his own budget papers. When he was asked in estimates about when there was any change to policy to back up the 60 per cent fall in illegal arrivals his answer was, ‘No, there is no change of policy; we just think it is going to happen.’ Can you give me a tip on the seventh, mate? We are not down at the races now; we are talking about a budget. This is a budget that has predicted a surplus of over $1 billion. Quite clearly, even Senator Evans does not believe his own budget, and if we look at the rate of three boats per week carrying more than 600 people per month, Labor’s projected surplus will clearly vanish.

The reality is that unless the government policy is changed and an Australian permanent visa is removed the only possible outcome is that people will keep coming, our borders will be crushed—they are completely porous—and our budget will never be in surplus.