Another boat arrives for same old policy failure

13/12/11

The latest boat arrival, with 58 people on board, shows that Julia Gillard can shuffle her ministers all she likes, but it is her failed policies that are the problem, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Scott Morrison and Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Border Protection, Michael Keenan said today.

“Labor are pursuing the same failed policies as yesterday and the boats are continuing to arrive,” Mr Morrison said.

“This latest boat means over 7,000 people have arrived since the last election. This is a Prime Minister who committed to stop the boats but who simply doesn’t meet her commitments,” he said.

“In the 18 days since Labor implemented their on shore release policies, ten boats with 806 people have arrived. This is more than three times the 256 people who arrived in the 18 days after the government abandoned its Malaysia legislation. It’s clear Labor’s Greens policies are supercharging the people smugglers’ business model.

“The escalation in arrivals has occurred months after the High Court decision and the government’s abandonment of their failed Malaysian people swap.

“The further softening of Labor's policies with their capitulation to the Greens has opened the latest sea lane to Australia for illegal boat arrivals.

“Labor's claim to be still pursuing their failed Malaysian people swap is nothing more than spin from a desperate government that cannot hide their failures. The Government has abolished the plan in their latest budget update and banked the savings for their mythical surplus.

“The only policy Labor has on illegal boat arrivals is on shore release. No wonder the boats keep coming,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Keenan said: “Considering Customs Border Protection Command have been operating at breakneck speed over the past two weeks intercepting illegal boats, the new Minister for Home Affairs Jason Clare should take this opportunity to take real action and bring some integrity to Australia’s border protection regime.

“Outgoing Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor has left our borders in complete shambles with his incompetent management of our frontline border protection and national security agencies, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Australian Federal Police.

“Customs and the AFP have been haemorrhaging over the past three years with the vicious budget cuts they have been the target of under this Labor Government. On top of previous cuts, in this year’s MYEFO Labor have sought to slash their budgets by up to $35 million for Customs and $45 million in cuts to the AFP.

“New Minister Clare should make it his number one priority to put a stop to the constant flow of illegal boats and ensure Border Protection Command and the AFP are appropriately resourced to manage this mess Labor have created,” Mr Keenan said.