More arrivals in four years under Labor's failed policies than entire 12 years of Howard Government

08/12/11

The arrival of the latest illegal boat, with 80 people on board, adds to the crisis in border protection under Labor, a crisis which has seen more boats arrive on Labor’s watch than arrived in the entire period of the Howard Government, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Scott Morrison and Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and border Protection, Michael Keenan said today.

“In just four years Labor’s failed border protection policies have been responsible for a record number of illegal boat arrivals, with 266 boats carrying 14,171 people. This eclipses the 243 boats and 13,647 people that arrived during the 12 years of the Howard Government and prompted the Coalition to act decisively to stop the boats,” Mr Morrison said.

“The Howard Government had a problem and developed a policy solution. Labor found a solution and created a crisis. First Kevin Rudd dismantled the successful policies of the Howard era and now Julia Gillard has removed all disincentive to people smugglers by capitulating to the Greens,” he said.

“Labor’s border protection crisis is the worst in our history and is exacerbated by every new arrival. Labor’s adoption of the Greens’ solution of community release will only export the crisis to the community, leaving the states to pay for Labor’s failure and leave our borders at the continued mercy of people smugglers.

“As the Coalition initiated inquiry into Australia’s crisis-hit detention network resumes tomorrow, Coalition members will continue to hold Labor responsible for their failures and refusal to install the Coalition’s proven policies to stop the boats.

“The number of boats arriving is overwhelming Labor’s community release of illegal arrivals which will once again build pressure on our already stretched immigration detention network,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Keenan said: “With the arrival of the third boat in four days it is clear that not only have the Gillard Labor Government failed to combat the people smuggling trade but they have in fact completely lost the faith of the Australian people to protect our borders.

“The Minister for Home Affairs was once again focusing his attentions on assisting countries in their fight against people smuggling before attending to the border protection fiasco in his own backyard.

''This Labor Government must swallow their pride and work with the Coalition to restore the proven policies they abolished when they came to power in August 2008, so as to put an end to these record numbers of boat arrivals,” Mr Keenan said.