Petty politics does a disservice to national security

There are many events that attract the attention of those inside the political beltway whilst barely registering a flicker of interest from the rest of the country.

To have the opposition playing petty politics with matters of national security is one such event.

Earlier this week in parliament, Labor were probing our border protection operations and demanding answers. However, when challenged about their own practices whilst in government, they reflected the current government statements that they wouldn’t comment on security operations.

For me the questions of real interest to the Australian people are:

“Have the boats stopped? Have people stopped drowning at sea as a result of policy changes and is the country safer as a result?” The answer to all is an emphatic yes. And that’s what has really upset the Labor Party.

The Coalition has succeeded where Labor and the Greens failed.

And despite the best efforts of the opposition, the government is succeeding on other fronts too.

While there is still a long way to go, the process of budget repair is underway.

They are working on restoring business confidence to stimulate our economy and create job opportunities.

But as I mentioned, there is a long way to go.

Part of that journey is to restore the confidence of the public in the political process. Labor’s humiliating own goal this week in respect to security did nothing to further that aim.

I have great faith in our security organisations. I am confident they are accountable to the executive and that they operate within the rule of law and in our national interest.

When there is evidence to the contrary, we are right to raise questions, but there has been no such suggestion on this occasion.

And so, despite the beltway belief about this matter, it has scarcely registered any interest with mainstream Australia. They know the country is safer as a result of policy changes and no amount of posturing by the opposition will change that.