Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

Taking up Senator Sterle's interjection, you are right, Senator Sterle: we did fix it. We have fixed what was, quite frankly, one of the most disastrous policy failures the people of Australia have ever seen. How did we do that? We did it by taking off the table the promise of permanent residency in Australia, which was put back on the table when former minister Chris Evans, in fateful August 2010, rolled back the former Howard government's strong border protection policies. And we all know what happened as a result of that. Fifty thousand people arrived here illegally. The Australian taxpayer incurred a cost of in excess of $11 billion.

Senator Abetz interjecting—

Senator Abetz, you are so right—the human tragedy, Senator Sterle: 1,200 people dying at sea. So you are right: we did fix it, and we are proud of it. (Time expired)