Scott Morrison has cut in to ask Anthony Albanese a series of questions about boat turnbacks in the first leaders’ debate of the election campaign.
Held at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday night, the leaders of the country’s two major parties were taking questions from 100 undecided voters on Wednesday night for the Sky News/The Courier Mail People’s Forum.
But it was only a few questions in before Mr Morrison decided to do his own grilling of Mr Albanese on the topic of border protection.
Mr Morrison had been talking about how he designed Operation Sovereign Borders and the boat turn back policy 2013.
“You have to understand how to do it safely, you have to understand how it works,” he said.
Mr Albanese was then asked if he had the determination to also turn back the boats, because he hadn’t always.
“Yes, we will do it,” he said.
Good Friday ceasefireJenny Morrison’s warm moment with Albanese at church service
“I was the Deputy Prime Minister when we established offshore processing. I was the deputy prime minister when that happened.
“And what we’ve said is we have the same position on offshore processing, on settlement in third countries and the same position on boat turn backs.”
He tried to continue, before Mr Morrison cut in: “Can I ask a question, though?”
“So when you were Deputy Prime Minister, why didn’t you support boat turnbacks then?”
Mr Albanese tried to answer him: “You weren’t proposing back then …”
Mr Morrison then continued talking over Mr Albanese.
The Prime Minister said turn backs were their policy at the 2013 election and he was the shadow immigration minister.
“So why did you not support turn backs?” he continued to ask.
“We had established offshore processing just in 2013 when I became Deputy Prime Minister; that was the first step, that was the first step,” Mr Albanese said.
“So you were going to do turn backs?” Mr Morrison continued to press.
“No,” Mr Albanese said.
“But why is it, Scott, that you’re always looking for a division?” he continued.
“No, I’m just looking for the truth,” Mr Morrison said.
Ben O’SheaWhy we must brave thxjmtzywe political noise this campaign
“Well, the truth is we support boat turn backs,” Mr Albanese continued.
Mr Morrison then brought it back to the past, saying Mr Albanese didn’t when he was Deputy Prime Minister and the boats were coming “at 30 or 40 a week”.
Mr Albanese said “what we did was we established offshore processing”.
Another audience member was then given a chance to ask their own questions, changing the topic to electric vehicles.
