Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Evans. How many of the illegal entrants currently in the Christmas Island detention centre have no supportive documentation as to their identity?

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise the same point of order that I raised yesterday.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Bob Brown is entitled to be heard in silence.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask you to rule on standing order 73, which, as I read it, prohibits that terminology of ‘illegal’ immigrants or entrants in Christmas Island. It is factually wrong and pejorative and has imputations which should not be allowed in such a question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bob Brown, you did write to me on this matter this morning and I have written back to you outlining that I would allow the question to stand yesterday and I will allow the question to stand again today.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, you shouldn’t.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That might be your view, but I am ruling that way. The question is in order. The question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Evans.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note the deliberately provocative language, but I can inform Senator Cash that, in terms of the irregular maritime arrivals, all persons who are intercepted seeking to enter Australia in an unauthorised manner by boat are taken to Christmas Island for processing. The processing includes, in the initial stages, an interview and further processing for the purposes of establishing identity, health status and security checks. I made that clear in the earlier answer to Senator Back. The number of people who arrive with sufficient papers for identification varies. I do not have the exact figure. Some arrive with a passport or an identity document and others arrive with nothing at all. Some have other personal information. Many have virtually no personal possessions other than the clothes they stand up in.

What we do as a government is use the relevant agencies to interview and work with those asylum seekers to establish their identity, to ensure that they have no communicable diseases and that they are healthy and we begin a process of providing the appropriate security checks—exactly the same type of operation that occurred under the previous government. As we know with arrivals by air, many people have arrived by air with false documentation. So the mere possession of documentation would not be sufficient to identify the person. We do the appropriate checks through relevant Australian agencies to identify persons before they are processed.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. How did these people get into Indonesia prior to embarking for Australia without supportive documentation?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I suppose the first thing to say is: probably the same way people did in 1999, 2000, 2001 and nearly every year since.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Take responsibility for your failed policies.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash, this may go down well in the right wing of the Liberal Party in Western Australia, but it is no substitute—

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Johnston interjecting—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Johnston, that is a very revealing interjection. I take that interjection.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Johnston interjecting—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Johnston, I remind you that you are in opposition—a short period as a minister and you end up in opposition.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The Leader of the Government in the Senate has been here long enough to know that he should be addressing his remarks through the chair and not direct to senators.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Evans, you should be addressing your remarks through the chair. You have 37 seconds remaining.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I say, people arrive with various levels of documentation. Some may have had documentation at earlier stages of their transit. We do have a series of measures that seek to try to work with our neighbouring nations to improve their entry and checking arrangements at their borders. The previous government and this government have invested a lot in border management in Indonesia to try to improve their systems. But, as you know, Senator, it is an archipelago—it has thousands of ports, thousands of entry places. They are developing a more sophisticated system. (Time expired)

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will any of these illegal entrants be allowed into the Australian community prior to their full antecedents being verified?

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. As the term ‘illegal entrants’ is a lie, I ask you to have it withdrawn.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bob Brown, I have ruled before. The question will stand.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is it on the same point of order?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, it is a new point of order.

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Wait a moment, Senator Birmingham. You are entitled to be heard in silence.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, under standing order 196, tedious repetition, I ask you to rule on Senator Brown’s continued points of order with regard to this matter—which you indicated you have already ruled upon.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Clearly, today and yesterday mark a departure in tactics by the opposition. It was only two days ago that we had the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Turnbull, rebuking Mr Tuckey for his comments and allegations. In the last two days, we have had Senator Johnston alleging that people are bringing disease into the country that will destroy animal and human stock and Mr Tuckey alleging that they are all terrorists. And today we have had the opposition spokesman claiming that they are all Centrelink bludgers and that somehow they are entitled to Centrelink under us when they were not under the previous government.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order regarding relevance. The minister has had over 30 seconds to answer the question, and he has yet to address it. I asked quite clearly: will any of these illegal entrants be allowed into the Australian community prior to their full antecedents being verified? I would now appreciate an answer in the remaining 23 seconds.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: what we again have is abuse of the taking of a point of order in order to restate the question. The minister is being responsive to the question and providing an answer. I would ask that you rule the point of order out of order and remind those opposite that they should not use a point of order to restate their question. It is a poor tactic and it reflects badly on them.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind Minister Evans that there are 23 seconds remaining to answer the question that has been asked.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I remind Senator Cash that on three or four occasions already in question time I have reinforced the fact that health, identity and security checks are taken.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash interjecting—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, you asked me whether there were identity checks; I have told you three or four times already.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Evans, ignore the interjection; address the chair.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash, you ought to listen to the debate before you read out the same old question. I urge you not to go down the low road; it is very unbecoming. (Time expired)