Fifield, Sen Mitch

Senator FIFIELD (Victoria—Minister for Communications, Minister for the Arts and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:52): The approach that this government takes to border protection and offshore processing has a very important objective, and that is to put the people-smuggling trade out of business, because, when the people smugglers are plying their trade, they put people in harm's way. Through their activities, they have resulted in many people perishing at sea. It is because of the clear action that this government has taken, in terms of our border protection policies, that that trade has essentially been put out of business and countless thousands of lives have, as a result, been saved.