February 20, 2024
KIERAN GILBERT: Let's go live now to the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, James Paterson. Thanks for your time. Can you clear this up for us? The Coalition says the government has cut 600 million. The commander of Border Force says it's actually higher now than it's ever been, funding for Border Force. So hence it's been funded accordingly. The government says it's adding $470 million on what was previously projected weight of the claims of funding cuts come from.
JAMES PATERSON: Look Kieran they come from the budget papers, and the government's argument is not with the opposition, it's with their own budget papers. I've got them here in front of me. The actual spend for the 2022-2023 financial year was $1.225 billion. Planned spend for the 2023-2024 financial year, that's this financial year, was $1.197 billion. So that's a cut of about $28 million. Next financial year, though, it's even greater, $1.026 billion. The year after, $1.033 billion. The year after, $1.043 billion. So cumulatively, if you add that up over the next four years Kieran, that's a cut of $600 million. It's in the government's own budget papers. Jim Chalmers handed this down ten months ago.
GILBERT: Okay, so Michael Outram, the commissioner of the Border Force comes out and says that their funding is the highest it's ever been, that they're getting hundreds of millions additional funding to do patrol and onshore efforts as well. He seems quite relaxed with where they're heading.
PATERSON: There is two things to say about that, Kieran. One of the key things in Michael Outram's explanation is it includes the word onshore. And that's a clue because of course, the government had to tip tens of millions of dollars of extra funding into the ABF because of their release of 149 violent non-citizen criminals onto the streets. So it doesn't help us protect our borders. That's extra money for the ABF to do things like put ankle bracelets on people and monitor them here in Australia. It doesn't help us do any extra offshore patrols. The other thing, though, is that the Coalition had an adequate budget for Border Force when we were in power because we stopped the boats. But the boats have resumed on Labor's watch. We know of at least a dozen, possibly 13 boats that have arrived in the last two years on Labor's watch. That's more than 300 people, and we know that at least two of those boats have reached the Australian mainland. So Labor's funding for Border Force is clearly not adequate. And one of the things that's leading to is a 14% reduction, which Michael Outram admitted to me himself in Senate estimates in October last year, a 14% reduction in maritime surveillance hours. So it's no wonder the boats are slipping through and reaching the Australian mainland, which Kieran, used to be absolutely unheard of.
GILBERT: So with that breach with that boat arriving and reaching the Australian mainland, just days before we get this Surface Fleet Review on our future defence, what does that say about the vulnerability of our efforts and ability to defend ourselves in the event of such a situation arising?
PATERSON: It's very disturbing, Kieran. It should not be the case that anyone can get to the Australian mainland without being detected, let alone two boats in just a matter of a few months. And that these people appear to have got to the Australian mainland and returned from wherever they came from without being detected. And it may have even taken a couple of days before these asylum seekers wandered into a regional community and identified themselves before Border Force was alerted. That's a shocking failure of maritime surveillance. It's a shocking failure of border security. It's a shocking failure of national security. And it's unsurprising that it's happened on this government's watch, because they have been chipping away at the successful pillars of Operation Sovereign Borders, one of the most important of which was the temporary protection visas. Now, the Prime Minister said this week that that's irrelevant because it's a historical matter. Actually, it's very important. Temporary protection visas are our way of delivering on Kevin Rudd's promise from 2013 that if you come here by boat, you'll never settle. That's the commitment he made in dozens of newspaper ads across the region. And yet they've undermined that promise because they're allowing people who came here by boat to stay. And so what do you think people smugglers are telling wannabe migrants to Australia in the region right now? They will be telling them, "they used to tell you that we wouldn't allow you to settle, but they backflipped on that and they did allow people to settle, so maybe they'll allow you to settle as well. You just have to wait long enough."
GILBERT: This cohort, though, was sent to Nauru within hours. Do you welcome that show of commitment to Operation Sovereign Borders, at least in the early days of its response, the government?
PATERSON: Kieran, that is welcome, particularly in the context of the Minister for Home Affairs publicly trashing offshore processing. Clare O'Neil has said that offshore processing is a festering sore. Actually, offshore processing is one of the only key remaining elements of Operation Sovereign Borders that this government hasn't undermined. Of course, Anthony Albanese, when he was in opposition, repeatedly attacked the idea of boat turn backs, as did his immigration minister, Andrew Giles. So it is no wonder that there are people smugglers who are out there testing the Prime Minister resolve, testing our borders and finding them wanting. And really, what we need is a reassertion of Operation Sovereign Borders, a re-establishment of Operation Sovereign Borders, instead of it being undermined with falling surveillance hours, reduced funding and an unwillingness to follow through in the key elements like temporary protection visas.
GILBERT: It's just finally Clare O'Neil said this morning that funding has increased by $470 million. We've invested almost half a billion in this operation compared to what the previous government was looking to spend. So you're saying that's flat out false? If there are more dollars, surely it goes into maritime surveillance. That's your argument, isn't it?
PATERSON: We'll Kieran, on the front page of The Australian this morning, the Minister said that she's going to bring forward in the next budget in May a new package to support maritime surveillance. Well, her own Border Force Commissioner warned her publicly in estimates, in October, that maritime surveillance was in dire straits, that we weren't able to meet our targeted hours, that we were 14% below where we needed to be. And that didn't prompt any response at all. So I hope by the time the budget comes around that the government finally boosts support for maritime surveillance. But in the meantime, we've had at least two boats arrive on the Australian mainland, and that's on her watch. That's her responsibility. And it is another example of the Albanese government's weakness on national security and border security, and no wonder we have this problem rearing its very ugly head again.
GILBERT: Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson we will stay in touch. Appreciate it.
PATERSON: Thanks Kieran.
ENDS
