Turnbull tells Merkel to control her borders

Malcolm Turnbull has delivered an impassioned defence in Germany of Australia’s tough border protection policies.

Angela Merkel and Malcolm Turnbull in Berlin. Picture: AFP

Malcolm Turnbull has delivered an impassioned defence in Germany of Australia’s tough border protection policies, declaring it is “absolutely essential” that governments protect their borders to gain the trust of the public, to allow immigration and to have a successful multicultural society.

Almost directly echoing the words of John Howard that Australia “will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come”, the Prime Minister told a Berlin audience of academics and diplomats that the public needed to trust the government “is determining who comes into the country”.

“You have to be able to assert your sovereign right to control your own borders,” he said.

Before discussing immigration and integration with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been damaged politically after agreeing to allow one million refugees into Germany without vetting, Mr Turnbull said Australia’s success as a multicultural country depended on managing immigration “very carefully”, a “very, very disciplined” approach to border protection and determining who came into Australia.

Mr Turnbull’s strident defence of the hardline approach to turning back boats of asylum-seekers and offshore processing of potential refugees came after weeks of debate about cutting the immigration levels in Australia and a Newspoll survey showing most people thought immigration levels were too high.

Tony Abbott has been advocating halving the current 190,000 maximum intake and it has also been revealed that Peter Dutton, as Immigration Minister, has discussed lowering the intake.

Mr Turnbull’s remarks, greeted by spontaneous applause at the Berlin gathering, were sensitive because the German Chancellor had taken a huge political hit over the admission of a million refugees from the Middle East.

Despite discussions between the two leaders on “immigration policy” and a positive meeting about trade in which Mrs Merkel indicated she wanted to “meet Australia’s wish” for a new trade agreement, Mr Turnbull’s robust defence of border protection was noted in German political circles.

When asked at a forum on Australian-German relations and building trade agreements about Australia’s success as a multi­cultural nation, Mr Turnbull was adamant tough border protection was essential.

“We manage our immigration program very carefully and we go to great lengths to ensure that when people come to Australia that they are looked after,” he said. “We are also absolutely determined to ensure that people do not come to Australia other than with the consent of the government of Australia.

“We have a very, very ­disciplined approach to border protection, and people thinking they can come to Australia with a people-smuggler … will be disappointed.”