Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Nauru did not work. The Gillard government recognises that there are no quick fix solutions to the issue of asylum seekers. We have worked hard to strike a balance between a plan for the strong management of our borders and antitrafficking initiatives and a comprehensive and people focussed care plan for asylum seekers in Australia, as well as within our region. At the Bali Process in March this year, Australia was able to reach an agreement with our neighbours for a regional protection framework. That regional framework fits with Australia's respon­sibilities as a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and was a response endorsed by the UNHCR.

Since Bali, we have been having ongoing discussions with our neighbours about how as a region we can deal with those who are seeking asylum. We have also worked hard to develop policies aimed at breaking the business model of people smugglers to prevent tragedies such as the boat smash on Christmas Island, because this is the key to solving the people smuggling problem. If the people smugglers do not have a product to sell, if we can stop this problem at the root, then we have a better chance of stopping people paying exorbitant amounts of money to people smugglers and risking their lives by jumping on dangerous boats.

Whilst we face significant challenges to break the people smugglers' business model, let me be clear: Labor supports strong border protection. I will take a moment to reflect on the record of the Labor government and what we have been doing. We have detected and intercepted more than 99 per cent of boat arrivals before they have reached the mainland and have brought in new offences of up to 10 years jail for providing support to people smugglers and up to 20 years jail for people smuggling involving exploitation or danger of death or serious harm. We have overseen the offshore arrests of more than 270 people-smuggling suspects.

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The Labor government has invested in eight new Cape class patrol vessels, strengthening our fleet to 18 ships and 17 aircraft.

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We have reached an agreement with Afghanistan and the UNHCR on returning unsuccessful Afghan asylum seekers—

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and worked with Malaysian, Pakistani, Thai, Indonesian and Sri Lankan police to break up people-smuggling rings.

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