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) (14:02): This government is proud to be part of a generous humanitarian program. We're proud of that as a country. It's one of the things that we've had for a long time.

The Howard government used to boast of being proud of having a generous humanitarian program. It's something that those opposite once saw to be proud of in Australia. It is also the case that it was once the situation where those opposite had some understanding of terminating programs in the budget and how that works.

Some things are budgeted for four years, and then they automatically come back for consideration and get renewed. I remember when I first became agriculture minister something like two thirds of the biosecurity budget was listed as terminating programs. The concept that is in that question from the Leader of the Opposition that somehow every terminating program is never intended to be renewed would be the end of portfolio after portfolio.

It is a ridiculous assertion and just shows how far they are from being an alternative government.