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Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Page: 2868

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

Mr KEENAN (Stirling) (14:49): My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that budget cuts to the Customs and Border Protection Service for cargo screening have resulted in at least a 75 per cent reduction in air cargo inspections and at least a 25 per cent reduction in sea cargo inspections?

Ms GILLARD (Lalor—Prime Minister) (14:49): As the member who asked the question may be aware, a risk management approach has been taken to inspections. I am happy to provide full details on that to the House and I will make sure I do so. On the question of collaboration between the federal government and state governments on the question of illegal firearms—

Mr Keenan: That is not what I asked!

Ms GILLARD: I presume these questions are all connected—

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms GILLARD: and I will still make the assumption, despite the catcalling, that there is a genuine interest in the question of illegal firearms in the community—

The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister was not asked about collaboration. The Prime Minister will answer this particularly tight question.

Ms GILLARD: I am simply seeking to draw the House's attention to collaborative work that has been done between the New South Wales police and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service with the assistance of the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police. As the minister has announced today, this work has made a difference to the number of firearms available on the—

The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister will resume her seat.

Mr ABBOTT (Warringah—Leader of the Opposition) (14:50): Mr Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. Will the Prime Minister concede that the 75 per cent reduction in air cargo inspections and the 25 per cent reduction in sea cargo inspections as a result of her budget cuts have undermined Australians' protection from the importation of illegal weapons?

Ms GILLARD (Lalor—Prime Minister) (14:51): No, I will do no such thing. We took that approach on the basis of proper advice. I ask the Leader of the Opposition: if he is going to get rid of 12,000 public servants, how many of them are coming from Customs? I ask the Leader of the Opposition, who is out there with his $70 billion black hole, saying that 12,000 public servants will go: how many of them are coming from Customs? If he is going to rule Customs out today, where are they coming from? The Leader of the Opposition cannot come into this parliament and play these cheap political stunts. He talks about 12,000 public servants—does that mean you are closing Customs? That would be a mere patch—

The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister will resume her seat. If the Leader of the Opposition is at the dispatch box seeking to ask a second supplementary question, that is not in order at this time.