OPPOSITION Leader Bill Shorten has been caught out on national security again - this time unaware what the Australian Border Force is despite Labor voting to create the crack organisation last year.
The new Australian Border Force was officially launched by the Prime Minister at Parliament House this morning.
But when Mr Shorten was asked about his view on the merger of customs and immigration this morning, he had no idea what it was.
“We haven’t seen the propositions around that. I will wait to see details before I start commenting,’’ he said.In an embarrassing blunder, Labor supported the creation of the Border Force when it was put before parliament last year.
The Opposition received full briefings on the proposed agency.Mr Shorten’s office attempted to play down the blunder, suggestion the Opposition Leader had not heard the question properly.
The new force is the result of a merger between the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the force would secure Australia’s borders.
“The Australian Border Force will be the nation’s primary border protection agency and will work closely with officers from the Department and partner agencies to protect Australia from those who would seek to break our laws or bring harm to our community,’’ he said.
Mr Shorten again declined to give a position about whether Labor would support boat turnbacks if they won office.
“Labor fundamentally believes that this nation should be compassionate to genuine refugees,’’ he said.
“That is why we’re supporting regional resettlement. We want to also make sure that people coming to Australia don’t do so in manners which are unsafe by paying criminal people smugglers lots of money to potentially drown at sea.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/bill-shorten-blunders-on-border-force-...
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