Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Thorpe for the question. Senator Thorpe, there is one thing that the Australian Greens and the Morrison-Joyce government disagree about, and that is in relation to the fundamental policy of border protection. You joined with the Labor Party last time and, as a result, the people that you are referring to in the alternative places of detention—they came to this country in contravention of our strong border protection laws. I reject any statement by you that in any way infers that they are locked up. We have made it very, very clear that the fundamental responsibility of a government is the protection of Australia and Australians.

The question asked by Senator Thorpe is a very, very telling one. It says to the Australian people that if, at the next election, they were to cast a vote, as Senator Seselja has said, for the Australian Labor Party, they will be governed in concert, just like last time, with the Australian Greens—for 50,000 people coming to this country illegally, for thousands of deaths at sea. We on this side of the chamber make no apologies for our border protection principles. A fundamental responsibility of any Commonwealth government must be the protection of Australia and Australians. In that regard, both the Australian Greens and the Australian Labor Party fail every time.