Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. It relates to the very serious allegations that were made around Australian officials having paid off crews to turn around asylum seeker vessels. It requires a very simple yes or no answer. There is no long preamble here—a simple yes or no answer. Did Australian officials hand over payments to the crew of any boat carrying asylum seekers in an effort to induce them or to assist them to return to Indonesia: yes or no?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, as you should know, no government comments on operational matters. However—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my right and on my left! Pause the clock.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. I am concerned that the minister may have inadvertently misled the parliament, because when questioned about this last week, Minister Dutton in fact said that—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, this is a debating point. It is not a point of order.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He denied the allegation.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, resume your seat. Attorney-General, you have the call.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I had not even finished the first sentence of my answer. No Australian government comments on operational matters, but I can assure you, Senator Di Natale, that everything this government has done has been within the law.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When questioned about this earlier, Minister Dutton and Foreign Minister Bishop denied the allegation. My question is: subsequently the Prime Minister has refused to deny the allegations, and the stories in fact of Minister Dutton and Minister Bishop have changed. Why has the story changed and what is the correct version?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There has been no difference whatsoever in what has been said by any minister on behalf of this government. We do not comment on operational matters, but everything the Australian government does is within the law. One thing the Australian people can be very confident of is that, under this government, unlike the previous government, we have stopped the boats. We have stopped the boats and we make absolutely no excuse for prosecuting the successful policies that stopped the boats, that stopped the people smugglers, that stopped the deaths at sea. If you care to have a look at the record, Senator Di Natale, it will tell you that, under the previous government, 812 illegal vessels journeyed to Australia. In the life of this government, in the nearly two years we have been in government, there has been one.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the Abbott government fully cooperate with any investigation into this matter, including handing over all operational details that are currently not being made available to the public?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Abbott government will observe its legal obligations at all times and we will pursue our successful policy of stopping the boats. Senator Di Natale, under the policies of the previous government, which you supported, more than 1,100 people drowned. People smuggling had become one of the great business enterprises of Indonesia because you encouraged that evil trade. I well recall during the 2013 election Labor spokesman after Labor spokesman fronted the media and said in relation to stopping the boats: 'It's too hard. It cannot be done.' Well, Senator Di Natale, we stopped the boats— we make no apology for it—and we will continue to do so.