Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I know responding to interjections is disorderly, but, yes, Senator Hanson-Young, I do want to keep them from hopping in these leaky boats. I want to keep them where they are safe, whereas you want them to hop on the boats and risk dying on the journey to Australia because of your policies. That may sit well with you but it does not sit well with me, and I do not think it sits well with the Labor Party or the coalition. We have a serious issue whereby those who profess accountability and transparency refuse to accept the facts.

The other question I would like to raise is about the fact that the policy that the Greens support is a very expensive one. It is costing billions and billions of dollars. It is easy for them to endorse these sorts of policies; I remember just last week when there was an announcement of a dental scheme between Senator di Natale and the health minister. Senator di Natale was asked about the cost of this problem. There was a shrug of the shoulders, and he said: 'It's not my problem; it's the government's problem. They've got to do it.' This is the level of political discourse and fiscal responsibility that has been exhibited by the controlling party on the government side. It is an appalling indictment on their lack of accountability and it goes to the point that, since Senator Bob Brown left—I did not agree with Senator Brown on a lot of things, but he was a canny and wily politician and he knew about a whole range of things—we have a rabble within the Greens. They have not got a clue. They cannot even control the government anymore, although they are doing their level best to.

But let us go back to the matter at hand. Australia deserves an orderly program for the processing of genuine refugees. It is not about facilitating, incentivising or encouraging those who are economic refugees, those who have the cash to game the system, to pay their way into Australia, to destroy their papers on the way, the people who can make claims and counterclaims with very little accountability. We need to do what we can to discourage those who want to take advantage; but, more importantly, we need to do what we can to stop those who are risking their lives unnecessarily, and this offshore processing program will be a step in the right direction. There are two more legs in the stool, as I said. Temporary protection visas are very important to this. The other one is about turning the boats back where it is safe to do so because we need to send a very clear message that we will not facilitate in any way, shape or form the people smuggling business.