Federal election 2022: Scott Morrison gets tough on foreign criminals

Scott Morrison will force thousands of foreign criminals to pay for their own immigration detention costs under a new six-point border protection policy.

Joint Agency Taskforce Operation Sovereign Borders has flagged that ‘opportunistic ­maritime people smuggling ­ventures may look to test Australia’s deterrence, disruption and response capabilities’.

Scott Morrison will force thousands of foreign criminals to pay for their own immigration detention costs under a new six-point border protection policy, amid intelligence warnings of a “heightened risk environment for maritime people smuggling”.

Ahead of the May 21 election and with Labor ahead in the polls, The Australian can reveal Joint Agency Taskforce Operation Sovereign Borders has flagged that “opportunistic ­maritime people smuggling ­ventures may look to test Australia’s deterrence, disruption and response capabilities”.

The OSB taskforce, which is actively monitoring intelligence in the Indo-Pacific region around illegal boat ventures to Australia and sentiment among illegal immigrants in transit countries, recently advised that the “maritime people smuggling threat to Australia is restrained but undefeated”.

The intelligence assessment comes as the Coalition released its 15-page “plan for protecting our borders”, headlined by strengthening laws forcing foreign criminals to pay their own immigration costs for accommodation, food and healthcare.

The reversal of Labor’s 2009 debt detention laws, where taxpayers pay all costs except for people smugglers and illegal foreign fishers, could save $216m a year based on 1300 current detainees with criminal histories.

The average time spent in detention by all detainees is 689 days and costs $456 a day.

With cashed-up foreign criminals using legal tactics to delay deportation, the Coalition will legislate tougher character test rules to boot out thousands more and bill them for immigration detention costs. Other border protection promises include boosting frontline border staff, increasing support for refugees and maintaining all OSB enforcement powers.

Scott Morrison has warned that Labor’s decision to abolish temporary protection visas will weaken border security. Picture: Jason Edwards

After the Greens on Thursday released its immigration policy, which would abolish the Australian Border Force, end offshore detention and scrap boat turnbacks, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews warned Labor would be pressured to soften border protection measures.

Ms Andrews said a change of government would mean a “change to Australia’s strong border protection policies”.

“Labor’s promise to abolish temporary protection visas, a key pillar of Operation Sovereign Borders, demonstrates the clear choice at this election between strong borders and weak borders,” Ms Andrews said.

“The Greens’ policy to abolish the Border Force is a very dangerous policy that would undermine everything we have achieved to make our country safer – and we know the risk is that it’s a policy Labor would have to bargain on in a hung parliament.”

Despite the Prime Minister heaping pressure on Anthony Albanese over Labor’s border protection record, the Opposition Leader has repeatedly said the ALP would replicate the government’s border security approach on turnbacks and offshore detention centres.

A senior government source said “it is clear people smugglers across the region, particularly in transit countries, are already using border policy weakness from a change of government as a marketing tool to get illegal immigrants onto their boats”.

“There’s a high risk that they’re gearing up for another crack at the people-smuggling trade if the government changes,” the source told The Australian.

“We’ve already seen Operation Sovereign Borders ramp up their communications into the ­region in response to this threat – all off their own bat in the middle of the election campaign – that’s how worried they are.”

In the final leaders’ debate on Wednesday, Mr Albanese defended his position on borders after Mr Morrison warned that Labor’s decision to abolish temporary protection visas would weaken border security.

“The key to keeping our borders strong are the elements of the plan that would turn back boats, which we support, offshore processing, which we support, and settlement in third countries, which we support,” Mr Albanese said. “Anyone who comes by boat will not get any visa here in Australia, they won’t be allowed to settle here in Australia. We have the same position on all of those issues.”

Mr Albanese said Australians wanted leaders to “accept a good idea and accept something that is working when it clearly is”.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said the Coalition would reverse Labor’s “weak laws because we don’t believe foreign criminals deserve free rent, food and medical treatment while we go through the process of deporting them”.

“We have cancelled or refused visas to over 10,000 serious criminals through our reforms to the character test and as we go through the process of deporting even more, the free ride they are getting now ends,” he said.

While border security ranks as a mid-tier issue for voters ahead of the election, the government is attempting to brand Labor as soft on borders and national security.

Mr Hawke said “because of changes Labor made last time they were in government, murderers and drug dealers are getting a free ride courtesy of the taxpayer – that ends if the Morrison government is re-elected”.