Stop the boats, stop the deaths and stop the illegal trade
05-July-2010
Written by: John Cobb, MP -
Federal Rounds - Stop the boats, stop the deaths and stop the illegal trade
Three months ago I said in a press release that I will proudly take the Coalition’s record and policy on immigration and human trafficking to the election and, after a week when those two issues have been back in the headlines, I happily stand by that statement.
Back in April Kevin Rudd had just appointed Tony Burke to the position of Minister for Population and that was apparently going to make a difference. Three months and dozens of boats later Tony Burke is Minister for “Sustainable Population” and nothing much has changed. People smugglers are putting more lives at risk because Australia is an easy target.
The Coalition Government found a problem and created a solution.
The boats stopped coming. Since then Labor’s policies have continued to change on the run, knee-jerk reaction after knee-jerk reaction. There was never any plan or any process and this remains the case.
Labor found a solution and created a problem.
Australians want strength and leadership on the issue. Along with Canada, Australia is second on the list of countries which accept refugees. There is a process, there are queues and there are refugees who genuinely and tragically need to leave their homes. Apart from that Australians want the right to chose who comes to our great country.
However there are also people smugglers, illegal traffickers and people dying on the high seas. This is a deadly industry. The Coalition remains committed to a strong focus on skilled migration with a clear resolve on ending the criminal trade of human trafficking. We have made tough decisions in the past and there has been criticism from certain commentators and certain groups amongst the community but there has always been a plan.
There are refugees and migrants living in Calare. It’s part of why there is no better place to live. This debate is not about race. It is about preventing death and stopping an illegal process that claims lives – an estimated 170 people have died at sea attempting to come to Australia since Labor unwound the Coalition’s strong policies*. So far, 143 boats have arrived in the same time and a very high number of children are now in detention. These are points that no amount of spin or polish can mask.
I want to see Australia with strong borders, I want to see skilled immigration that improves our nation and improves Calare. This is the policy of the Coalition and this is the policy I will take with me to the election. I am proud that we stopped the boats and I am confident that if we return to Government we will stop the deaths and stop the people smugglers once more.
*Figures from Andrew Bolt – Herald Sun 2/7/2010
