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Monday, 12 September 2011
Page: 9611

Asylum Seekers

Mr MORRISON (Cook) (14:35): My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Since the decision of the High Court two weeks ago, has the minister sought to have the government's people-swap deal with Malaysia amended to remove the 800-person cap on asylum seekers to be transferred, or does it remain fixed at 800 persons? Given that 400 people have already arrived illegally by boat in recent weeks, since the agreement was signed, won't this cap soon be exhausted by the people smugglers?

Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) (14:36): The situation is clear. There is an agreement with Malaysia for the transfer of 800 people. That remains. We believe the advice to us, which is that this is the best and most effective way to break the people smugglers' business model.

The member for Cook argues that Nauru would be a more effective disincentive. He says it is clear that Malaysia does not work because of the number of people that arrived after the announcement. If that logic applied it would apply to the Nauru announcement of the previous government. It is interesting to look at the figures: 1,998 people arrived after the announcement of Nauru in the same period—

Mr Morrison: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance. I asked whether the minister had contacted the Malaysian minister to see if he had changed the arrangement to deal with the policy flaw that he knows exists in his own policy.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member is now debating the point of order. The question has been asked, the minister is responding and he knows he has to respond in a directly relevant manner.

Mr BOWEN: The situation remains as it has been previously outlined—that is, the governments of Australia and Malaysia have agreed to the transfer of 800 people. The government of Malaysia has made it clear that they would review that arrangement at the end of the transfer of the 800 people, and I welcome the implication from the shadow minister's question that the opposition are prepared to support the government's legislation.