LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Peter Dutton is the Home Affairs Minister. He joins me now live from Parliament House.

Thank you for coming in, Minister.

PETER DUTTON, HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER: Pleasure Leigh.

LEIGH SALES: Given that you've lost a significant vote on the floor of the House, is the right thing now for the Government to have its majority tested by a confidence vote?

PETER DUTTON: No, Leigh, the independents have been very clear about the fact that they support the Government on the question of confidence and even Kerryn Phelps herself, said today as I understand it, that she would not support a no-confidence motion.

What the vote was about today was a demonstration of whether or not Bill Shorten is capable of leading this country on the issue of border protection.

Clearly, he has failed that very significant test and I think most Australians now see, fortunately before the election, unlike the case with Mr Rudd, a Labor Party unravelling a successful border protection policy.

That is a disaster for our country.

LEIGH SALES: I'll come to the specifics of border protection in a moment but I just want to again raise this point that the Government has just lost a significant bill on the floor of the House. One that you, yourselves, claim goes to a vitally important matter of national security.

Shouldn't that raise questions in the minds of Australians about your ability to govern effectively?

PETER DUTTON: No, Leigh. I think particularly on the issue of border protection we've demonstrated over a long period of time, not only have we been able to clean up Labor's mess...

LEIGH SALES: But you have to be able to get your policies through the Parliament when you are the government?

PETER DUTTON: Well, of course and we are able to deal with the cleaning up of Labor's mess.

We have got kids out of detention. We have got 60 people, medical staff up on Nauru for a population of 400 people now.

So the claims are false in relation to the medical attention that's required.

This is about Mr Shorten trying to appease the left of his party. Mr Shorten has chosen for, you know, the choice between trying to get the politics settled in his own ranks, he has chosen that option over the option of what is in our country's best interests and I think he stands condemned for his actions tonight.

LEIGH SALES: As Home Affairs Minister, will you abide by these amendments on medical evacuations that have passed today?

PETER DUTTON: Well, yes, of course, we will. The law will be abided by as it always is and we've brought a significant number of people here either for medical attention or people who are in a family unit to support the person coming here for medical attention, but I am worried about the consequences of the deal that's been struck between Mr Shorten and the Greens tonight.

It is an unravelling of border protection policy ...

LEIGH SALES: I just want to interrupt you because I want to pick up on something you just raised which is about already bringing people out for medical attention.

Isn't there therefore inconsistency that, it has been okay for you to do that, but that it will, if Labor and the crossbenchers have their way, it will be just open slather on Australia's borders?

PETER DUTTON: So Leigh, under the arrangements that Mr Shorten and the Greens passed through the House of Representatives tonight, we have people that can come to our country from Manus or Nauru - people that have been charged with child sex offences, people that have been charged or allegations around serious offences including murder.

LEIGH SALES: And how many of those are on Nauru and Manus?

PETER DUTTON: Well, I would suggest to you that Australians don't want those people to come to Australia.

LEIGH SALES: How many of them are on Nauru and Manus, people charged with serious offences like child sex offences?

PETER DUTTON: We will release that detail if it is appropriate to do so.

LEIGH SALES: Well, you're the relevant minister. I'm asking you tonight.

PETER DUTTON: I'm going to your point as to what is the difference between the Government's approach and the Leader of the Opposition's approach - the Government's approach is to make sure that the Government determines who comes to our country and who doesn't.

The Labor Party has clearly aggregated that responsibility and they are at the moment, in reckless territory and I think Bill Shorten realises that, but the option for him was to see the left go completely off the reservation and he chose not to side with national security and I think it is a very dark day for the Labor Party.

LEIGH SALES: Do you think that most Australians believe that a bill allowing for the evacuation of sick refugees who have been held on Nauru and Manus Island for five years will open the floodgates to boat arrivals on our shores?

PETER DUTTON: Well, Leigh we saw it when Mr Rudd came into government in 2007, when he said that he wouldn't unravel successful policies of John Howard.

We saw 50,000 people arrive. We saw 8,000 children go into detention and it has taken us near six years to clean up Labor's mess.

LEIGH SALES: But is that what you're saying would happen as a direct result of this bill?

PETER DUTTON: I do believe that we will see boats under what Mr Shorten has passed in the House of Representatives tonight.

I think there is no question that people smugglers will be hearing very clearly that the policy in Australia has changed and I think we need to be very cognisant of that.

I've met tonight already...

LEIGH SALES: Minister, sorry, sorry to keep interrupting, but I just want to pick up on the points that you're making as you make them, but for your theory to be true, people smugglers will have to offer a product like this, okay, you can get on a boat to Australia, but there is a very high chance that you will be turned back. If you're not turned back, you might be sent to Nauru and Manus Island.

If you're there, you might be able to get two doctors to sign off on a medical evacuation for yourself. The minister might allow that to happen.

If you get to Australia, you might be able to lodge a court action and find yourself staying in Australia.

That doesn't sound like a very attractive product?

PETER DUTTON: Well, Leigh, people are drowning on the Mediterranean right now. There are 1200 people who drowned trying to get here to Australia last time. That's the risk...

LEIGH SALES: But you're saying as a direct result of this policy, it is making things more attractive for people to come to Australia ...

PETER DUTTON: Of course it is.

LEIGH SALES: ... and I'm trying to give the example that it is still is a very unattractive product.

PETER DUTTON: No, it's not, it's not actually. This puts Australia back on the map for people smugglers and Bill Shorten has that on his shoulders.

That's the reality of what we have seen in the House tonight.

We were cleaning up Labor's mess. We have got four kids left on Nauru who have packed their bags ready to go to the United States. No children, in fact nobody in detention on Nauru or Manus.

We've closed 19 detention centres and Mr Shorten, along with the Greens tonight, has taken a decision that he will unravel that success.

He has announced also, I must say, that if boats arrive, that those people are going to Manus. So what is the point ... going to Nauru, I'm sorry.

What is the point of getting people off Manus and Nauru if you're only to fill them with new arrivals the following week?

And I think Mr Shorten doesn't yet understand the full consequence of his decision tonight, but I think the Australian public do.

LEIGH SALES: But this bill only applies to people who are currently on Nauru and Manus. So how is it going to make it attractive and fill the place?

PETER DUTTON: Oh Leigh, look, at the last election Bill Shorten was saying there was no difference on Operation Sovereign Borders between the Labor Party and the Liberal Party...

LEIGH SALES: No, that's not what I asked.

PETER DUTTON: Well, the point I'm making, is that you couldn't believe what Bill Shorten says when it comes to border protection.

He'll say one thing before the election and he does completely the opposite after.

If Mr Shorten is elected in May, I can promise you this policy will apply to people newly arrived on Nauru.

This will be a disaster for people drowning at sea again, putting kids back into detention and Mr Shorten will have to explain that failing if he is elected as prime minister to the Australian people.

LEIGH SALES: Hasn't the government created this situation for itself by not dealing in a timely manner with the 1,000 or so people who are on Nauru and Manus?

PETER DUTTON: No, that's completely false. We have got an arrangement with the United States where we now have about 500 people that have gone there...

LEIGH SALES: My point was about the timeliness of it?

PETER DUTTON: Well, look, I would want people off Manus and Nauru tomorrow but I need to be realistic about the options available to them.

People that have come from Iran that have been found not to be refugees, for example, the Iranians will not issue travel documents so we need to settle people in third countries and as I say, not the Labor Party, but our Government that created the opportunity for people to go to the United States.

We've not ruled out people going to New Zealand in certain circumstances.

So, yes, we've dealt with a very difficult situation over a period of time, but we have done it in a way that hasn't seen kids drown. I haven't put one child into detention or Nauru.

I have got every remaining child, as Scott Morrison started, out of detention in Australia and I don't want to go back to those bad Labor days and I worry that Mr Shorten has fired the starting gun again for people smugglers.

LEIGH SALES: Minister, you have not been on the program since the change of Prime Minister last year so I want to ask you about a couple of other matters.

Recently Malcolm Turnbull was asked why he wasn't the prime minister anymore and he replied that it is a question he can't answer and that people should ask you among others. So why isn't he?

PETER DUTTON: Well, Leigh, I answered these questions at Christmas or over the Christmas, New Year period. I don't intend to go back and revisit...

LEIGH SALES: As I just explained, I have not had a chance to ask you about them and I'm sure our viewers would be interested to hear your response, whether you've answered it before or not.

PETER DUTTON: Well, Leigh, I dealt with these issues at Christmas time...

LEIGH SALES: It is a pretty simple question though, isn't it? Why isn't Malcolm Turnbull still prime minister?

PETER DUTTON: Well, I answered all of it at Christmas. I don't intend to re-prosecute it now.

LEIGH SALES: Don't you think that viewers might be bothered that you can't answer that in a straightforward manner?

PETER DUTTON: Well, I can absolutely answer it. I did it at Christmas time, but I'm not going to rehash it now.

The priority for me, having just met tonight with the General in charge of Operation Sovereign Borders, with our officials otherwise, is to deal with the very difficult circumstance that Bill Shorten has created.

That's the priority for me.

LEIGH SALES: And we've gone through that. We've gone through that.

Mr Turnbull said recently that the people who chose to act in madness, in a very self-destructive way to blow up the government, to bring my prime ministership to an end, they need to really explain why they did it and none of them have?

PETER DUTTON: Well, Leigh, I think those comments actually were made before I made my comments.

LEIGH SALES: They were made on Q&A, when Mr Turnbull was on Q&A?

PETER DUTTON: Well, I'd refer back to the comments I made at Christmas time and I provided a full explanation.

I don't want Bill Shorten to be prime minister of this country. I want to make sure that we can stop boats, that we can keep our economy strong and that's the only thing that I'm focused on.

LEIGH SALES: But you were stopping boats and keeping the economy strong under Malcolm Turnbull?

PETER DUTTON: Well, as I say, I made comments at Christmas I think that provided a full explanation. I'm very satisfied with the job that ...

LEIGH SALES: Just one sentence, one sentence. Why did you change leaders?

PETER DUTTON: I'm very satisfied with the job that Scott Morrison is doing and I believe that we can defeat Bill Shorten at the next election.

I hope for the sake of the economy, I hope for the sake of small business, retirees, people that will lose significantly under a Labor government not to mention the issue of border security, I hope, that we can defeat Bill Shorten for all of those reasons. I believe that we can.

LEIGH SALES: One quick question, if you retain your seat at the election, are you still carrying a leadership baton in your backpack?

PETER DUTTON: I came out of the party room in August of last year and without hesitation, pledged my support to Scott Morrison and...

LEIGH SALES: I'm talking about after the election?

PETER DUTTON: Well, and after the election, I'm absolutely committed to making sure that Bill Shorten doesn't become prime minister of this country.

That's been my interest all along because I put the Liberal Party first because I believe we are the better party to govern for this country.

We've demonstrated it in relation to the management of economy and management of our borders and national security and I believe that Scott Morrison is demonstrating to the Australian people, including in my electorate, that he is the superior leader to face the challenges, many of which Bill Shorten has reopened again today and if we concentrate on that, I believe that we can win the election.

LEIGH SALES: Peter Dutton, thanks for joining us this evening.

PETER DUTTON: Thanks, Leigh, thank you.