Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Can the minister advise the Senate what is the rationale for the government's reintroduction of temporary protection visas?

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

I thank Senator Edwards for his question. The temporary protection visas that have been reintroduced by this government, the government that will stop the boats, have been restored to bring integrity and fairness back into Australia's humanitarian settlement services program. One of the great benefits of TPVs which was completely lost under the former government is that those who arrive here illegally by boat will not receive any of the places in our refugee humanitarian settlement services program, unlike successive Labor governments that turned their backs on the most vulnerable people internationally and allowed the people smugglers to determine who came to this country as opposed to a sovereign government. We will not do that. We will not turn our backs on the refugees that have been waiting patiently in camps all over the world, some of them for in excess of 20 years. Under the former government the majority of the 13,750 places went to people who arrived here illegally by boat. They displaced the most vulnerable—

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. Senator Cash keeps using the word 'illegally', that they arrived illegally.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

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

This is a government that will by its policy decisions restore integrity and fairness to Australia's humanitarian settlement program. Integrity and fairness were things that those on the other side may have talked about but the statistics in relation to those who ultimately took the places in our humanitarian settlement program tell the true story. This is a government that will not displace those— (Time expired)

Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for her fulsome answer and I ask a further question. What were the consequences of the former government's winding back of the proven suite of measures in place under the Howard government, including offshore processing on Nauru, temporary protection visas and turning back the boats when safe to do so?

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

When the Howard government left office in 2007 there were four people in immigration detention. Not one of those persons had arrived here illegally by boat. Australia's detention network was costing the Australian taxpayer approximately $85 million—not billion, million—per year. Under the former government the Australian taxpayer is now faced with a cost blow-out of in excess of $11 billion. When the former Howard government left office in 2007 there were no children in detention. This is the legacy caseload the Abbott government has picked up. By July 2013 there were over 3,000 children being cared for by the department, with over 2,000 children locked in detention. That is the extent of the failures of winding back the Howard government's policies. (Time expired)

Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My final question of the minister is how will the coalition government's new border protection policies ensure that Australia maintains its obligation to offshore refugees?

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

Australia is renowned as having one of the most generous resettlement programs in the world. However, unfortunately, given the history and the legacy that has been left by those on the other side, this country has not been able to settle the many tens of thousands of refugees that sit patiently in camps around the world, not for five, not for 10, not for 15 but sometimes for in excess of 20 years. Under the former government more than 14,500 of those people were denied a place in Australia because the former government gave in to the people smugglers. This is a government that by its policies will restore fairness and will restore justice to Australia's humanitarian program.