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

As if we haven't had enough conversation about communists and socialists subverting Australia's democratic traditions, we're going to go back into a debate where the Left—the licorice allsorts of Marxists, socialists, communists and Green totalitarians—want to continue to stifle the government's opportunity to control who comes through Australia's borders through an orderly immigration program. It's a deep shame that those who pretend they have conviction about protecting Australia's borders and stopping people from dying at sea always look for loopholes in which they can push their pernicious agenda, which is to subvert Australia's border protection. There's no doubt about that.

We saw the motley bunch of people this time last year gang together and ignore the brutal reality of what they were suggesting. We have seen the proof of the pudding in the eating. We have seen people self-harming by injecting their genitals to come to Australia. That's okay over there, because on Skype they said, 'I need some help.' We've seen them being brought out here, thanks to the wonders of the internet and modern medical technology, and refuse medical treatment here. It is just a shameless excuse to jump the queue and come here. We've seen people who have been offered places in America refuse those places. The land of the free. Who wouldn't want to go to the country run by Donald Trump, for goodness sake? Well, these people don't want to go there, because they may have to be held accountable for their actions. But that's not good enough for this place, because the Labor Party, the Greens and a couple of others want to see Australia undermined once again.

It fills me with dread and horror that the proof of what has happened over the last year is still being denied by those opposite. I remember that when former senator Derryn Hinch, a man with a tin ear if ever he had one, was advised that there was no character test—that alleged paedophiles, rapists and domestic abusers would be allowed in under this legislation—he turned away. He pretended that he didn't hear and he turned away, because he didn't want to be awake to the reality of what he was casting judgement on. He was seduced by that green dream of open borders, where everything can happen. Those who profess this, the global government mob on the other side, believe in open borders. They do not believe in an orderly migration program, because they will not put a number on the number of migrants that should come here or the number of refugees that should come here. They will not do that, because it would mean being held to account and they would have to say, 'There is a ceiling on our compassion.'

Well, let me tell you where the ceiling on my compassion is. It has to do with the thousands of people who have died trying to come to this country in a disorderly manner and weaken our border protection. The cavalier approach to those who have perished, smashed against the rocks on Christmas Island, by those in the Greens party is to say: 'Tragedies happen. Accidents happen,' as they're picking the bodies out of the water. It is those who will take no responsibility and always continue to seek opportunities to subvert the most efficient and effective program the coalition has ever introduced: our border protection program. Let me pay homage to General Jim Molan. Welcome back to this place, General. You're a big part of this.

My time is up. I'm going to finish, and I'll let someone else take up the cudgels, but I reject this socialist agenda of the Left.