Cory Bernardi (SA, Australian Conservatives) Share this | Hansard source

Before question time begins: I think the country is crying out for something, and it's common sense. Senator Faruqi neglected to mention the Greens policy of open borders, of global governance. They simply do not want to take responsibility for being, with the Labor Party, the architects of the most dysfunctional period of border protection in the history of this country. If there is one credit to the coalition government, it is that they have taken control of our borders. They have reclaimed the destiny of our nation by determining who can come to this country and the manner in which they will come—until it was so brutally, callously and illogically undermined on the last day of parliament last year. I was pleased to have played my part in delaying the passage of that bill somewhat.

At the time I remember that we warned the likes of former senator Derryn Hinch, the Greens and the Labor Party that people of poor character, people accused of rape, people accused of sexual assault, people who had self-harmed and people who were a danger to their own communities would be coming here under the terms of this bill. They wilfully ignored it. They ignored it and turned a blind eye to it because they're always looking for a loophole about how to undermine Australia's border protection. I cannot wait for the next 19 minutes or so of this contribution after question time, and I hope you'll all be here to listen to it.

Debate interrupted.