Mr O'DOWD (Flynn) (16:30): I am pleased to speak on this matter of public importance and to denigrate the government for its failure to protect the integrity of our borders and immigration programs. At the core of this debate is the reality that the Rudd government changed a good, workable, functional and effective border protection policy purely for political reasons. There was no reason for Mr Rudd to change a system that had worked very well over a number of years. I will prove that with the figures I will talk about later on. Since Mr Rudd made those changes, the Labor government has leapt from policy failure to policy failure, and has still failed to secure Australian borders. These failures have cost, and are continuing to cost, the country billions of dollars, to the detriment of other, good programs that could have been introduced or not cut back. How can this government claim any credibility on immigration and border protection after so many broken promises? The stream of incoming boats is not getting any better. In fact, compared to the same time last year, we have had 1,700 more arrivals. Last year we had 17,000 people come to our shores illegally. Who knows what this figure will be, come the end of June? The total number of arrivals since November 2007 is a staggering 33,656. The total number of boats since November 2007 is 577. The mind boggles in relation to what happens to these boats that come to our shores and to Christmas Island. They were, at one stage, being burnt off Darwin and Christmas Island. Now we believe they are being sunk. It would be pretty rocky shores of Christmas Island, if you go water-skiing around that area, with all these sunken boats! So I beg to ask that question, and if I am wrong about the boats being sunk I would like to know what is happening to those boats. And I would like to know what is happening to the crews, and what penalties they have faced. The total number of arrivals since polling day, 21 August 2010, amounts to 424 boats and 26,307 people. The total number of arrivals since the Gillard government—24 June 2010—is 438 boats and 27,104 people. The total number of arrivals since the Malaysia announcement, on 7 May 2011, is 354 boats and 21,876 people, excluding crews. The total number of arrivals since the signing of the Malaysia deal on 25 July 2011 is 343 boats and 21,564 people. The total number of arrivals since 31 August 2011, the date of the Malaysia High Court decision, is 338 boats and 21,468 people. Those figures prove that nothing the Labor government has introduced is working. The total number of arrivals since 13 October 2011 is 333 boats and 21,064 people. The list goes on. The total number of arrivals since 25 November 2011, when the announcement was made about the bridging visas, was 319 boats and 20,107 people. That is a lot of people. These numbers prove that none of the government's attempted measures to bring Australia's borders under control have worked. More people have arrived on illegal boats this financial year than arrived over the entire 11 years of the Howard government. Mr Christensen: Shame! Mr O'DOWD: It is a shame. That means 13,745 people arrived this financial year versus 13,584 under the 11½ years of the Howard government. This Labor government's border protection failure has now cost Australians over $5 billion—and $2½ billion in the last 12 months. There are currently around 14 million refugees waiting in camps all over the world. We know we have an obligation to the world or to the United Nations to take our fair share of these refugees. However, we also have an immigration policy where you come through the front door. People in my electorate are asking me, 'Why can't they come through the front door? Why can't they be like anyone else and when they come to Australia get a job and work—not be banned from working—and become part of Australian life? Why should they receive more benefits than our pensioners, who have worked all their lives and are now on a very meagre pension? Why are the boat people better off than our pensioners?' In 2010 the number of legal offshore places was reduced by 2,000 people. What we did to make up for those extra 2,000 people who wanted to come but were not allowed to come because there were too many boat people was to have those 2,000 places taken up by families of the people who illegally came here. So that is not a very fair system, either. We have spent this money, and what have we gained as a nation? We have helped some people but we could have helped them if they had come through the front door. I cannot emphasise that enough. We have clearly lost control of our borders. Labor has walked away from a budget surplus. As we all know, they promised 650 times that there was going to be a surplus budget. But the day they walked away from their budget they walked away from border control also, because it was costing the budget well over what was estimated, and it helped throw the figures out. As we go on, future budgets have a decrease in what illegal immigration is going to cost us. It comes down from $2½ billion a year to $400 million in two years time. What whiz kid came up with those figures? How did he get to those figures? Mr Christensen: Made a wish! Mr O'DOWD: It probably was a wish. Has anyone ever thought of our Australian Defence Force, our Australian Navy, in Darwin, who have to sail to these places when they get the SOS: 'Please come and accept another boat. We want a welcoming party here at Christmas Island because we've got five boats coming in tomorrow'? Mr Christensen: 'Sorry; we're out of money'! Mr O'DOWD: 'Sorry; we've just cut the ADF budget by $5.5 billion.' And yet they are expected to do all this extra work, steaming out from Darwin to Christmas Island. I have spoken to some of the Navy guys in Darwin, and, when they get to the boats, these people are very demanding and actually have been known to spit on Australian Naval personnel. Mr Christensen: Disgraceful! Mr O'DOWD: That is a disgrace and those people should not be allowed in Australia under any circumstances. To spit on Australian Navy personnel is a disgrace. This has created a new business. It is called people smuggling. The people smugglers are laughing all the way to the bank. They get a slap over the wrist when they get here and are sent home not too long afterwards. If you want to encourage that, keep going the way you are going, because the people smugglers are smiling and laughing. The refugees have money in their pockets before they meet the smugglers. They have passports and documents before they meet the smugglers. But, strangely enough, after the smugglers take them under their wings, they have no money and no passports. Isn't that amazing? I am all for stopping the boats. I am all for turning them around where it is possible to do so safely. I think that we, in government, could do a much, much better job and stop the boats. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr S Georganas ): Order! The discussion is now concluded.