Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration Senator Cash. Can the minister advise the Senate how previous approaches to border protection impacted those asylum seekers waiting in UNHCR camps?

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

I thank Senator Seselja for his question. I commence my answer to the Senate by quoting from an article dated 2 March 2014 on News.com.au, when reporting comments by former Prime Minister Rudd when he was at an Oxford University recently. Mr Rudd said that a 'large slice' of people arriving by boat were not genuine asylum seekers. The site reports:

"Where it got to by the end of 2013 was the number of folks coming by boat was overwhelming the whole (Australian) refugee intake," he said.

As I stated, he said that recently in his speech to the Oxford Union.

A direct impact of the former, Labor government's failed border protection policies on those refugees waiting endless years in camps—when I say 'endless years' I mean five years, 10 years, 15 years or in excess of 20 years—is that more than 14,500 desperate people waiting in these camps were denied a place by those opposite, in conjunction with their little alliance partners the Greens, in our offshore humanitarian program, because those places were taken by people coming here illegally by boat.

It is a fact—again, Mr Rudd acknowledged this—that Australia runs one of the most generous humanitarian settlement programs in the world. However, the sad truth is this: in any one year less than one per cent of the world's 10.5 million refugees will be resettled. In any one year more than nine million will miss out. And under the previous government policy the great tragedy was— (Time expired)

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate how the coalition government is ensuring that order, fairness and integrity are restored to Australia's migration program?

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Those opposite, including Senator Hanson-Young, laugh about the concept of fairness and integrity in Australia's humanitarian settlement program. However, this government will never, ever outsource our border protection policy, like those opposite did, to the people smugglers. When you outsource a border protection policy this is what happens—in excess of 50,000 people come to your country illegally.

Even though those opposite decided to increase the humanitarian intake to 20,000 per year, the only reason they did that was because in the same year as the announcement, 25,000 people arrived here illegally by boat. So, when it comes to integrity and fairness in Australia's border protection system this government is all about restoring it.

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate how the implementation of strong border protection measures ensures Australia can maintain our commitment to assisting the world's refugees.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! I remind senators at the other end of the chamber that if you wish to debate this the time to do it is after 3 o'clock.

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

The fundamental difference between this government's border protection policy and the failed policy of the former government is that, of the 13,750 visas that we have committed to, not one of those visas will go to someone who arrived in Australia illegally by boat. That is how you restore integrity and fairness back to your immigration system.

We will run an immigration program of which the Australian public can, yet again, be proud. We have said that a minimum of 11,000 of the 13,750 places in this government's humanitarian settlement program will go to those people desperately waiting for five, 10, 15 and 20 years in camps overseas—those people who were deliberately denied a place by the former government.