QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (14:28): I am proud of our authorities when they intercept drugs. Those opposite see a drug interception as a problem for our authorities. Every time drugs are intercepted by Border Force or the Australian police, we have pride in the people who wear that uniform.
We stand with them. When Border Force intercept, you get a sense— Mr Pasin interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Barker is warned.
Mr BURKE: of the level of aggression from those who want to harm our borders and those who want to harm our country. I am proud of Australian Border Force and Operation Sovereign Borders—that, even when people come with those sorts of weapons, we make sure that their operations are not successful. There is something that I will pay credit to the previous government for, because it's something that has continued.
It has been more than a decade since there has been a successful people smuggling operation, and we give that message because it's true. That's the message that people smugglers don't want to hear. But this character, this leader of the opposition, the guy who wants to bring all three right-wing parties together— Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order!
The manager, on a point of order. Mr Tehan: I know that the Minister for Home Affairs has exercised— The SPEAKER: What's the point of order? Mr Tehan: It goes to correct titles.
Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Resume your seat. I want to agree with the manager. He has made this point, and I 100 per cent agree with him.
I want everyone addressed by their correct titles, not any other terms. I'm going to call the minister. Mr BURKE: As I said at 2.30 pm on 2 July, he's the Leader of the Opposition, and I referred to him as the Leader of the Opposition.
But let me say, the Leader of the Opposition— Honourable members interjecting— Mr BURKE: I noticed they took issue with the title but not issue with the accusation—no issue with the accusation at all. That is because he is giving the messages that people smugglers want. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order, the minister for climate change and the minister for infrastructure!
The manager, on a further point of order. Mr Tehan: It goes to relevance this time. There was nothing about the opposition in this question.
It was about arrivals drinking frothies before they were arrested. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: That term wasn't in the question, but— Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has got just over one minute remaining.
He has the call. Mr BURKE: So you go through all three examples they gave. One was drug interception—successful; good.
Second was Border Force intercepting and following on, even in the face of gunfire. Instead of standing with those Australian officials, you want to mock them. And, thirdly, 'What happened in Weipa?' That is clearly a question they wrote before they realised that every one of those individuals had been removed from Australia.
If you want to show that you care about the borders, stop providing information for people smugglers. Here is a hint on border protection: if the key question for the Leader of the Opposition is, 'Do you get your senators to vote with the Greens?' warning! That is a warning, in terms of where that leads.
I understand the stance on border protection from those opposite. I will never understand, though, wanting people smugglers to have access to surveillance information.