Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I note that the Attorney raises the issue of indefinite detention, and I will come to that in a moment. In relation to the appropriations, Senator Evans indicated that the estimated number of people to arrive in financial year 2010-11, which begins in just a couple of weeks, will be just 2,000—a 60 per cent decline on this current financial year’s number.

Given that the budget estimates currently include a $1 billion increase from last year when the figures were introduced, can the minister comment on the following. If the current rate of arrivals—three boats per week and 600 people per month—were to continue in the next financial year, what impact would that be on the budget estimates and what would the likely further increase be?

I also go to the issue raised of indefinite detention and the asylum freeze introduced by the government on 9 April. With the asylum freeze, I would be interested to know what advice was given, or if advice was given, to the government regarding the legal position as to the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and in particular article 3, which stipulates against discrimination due to a person’s race, religion or country of origin. Given that there is currently a six-month freeze for Afghan asylum seekers and a three-month freeze on assessment for Sri Lankans, and absolutely no certainty one way or the other on whether those freezes are to be extended, how does that sit comfortably with the government’s own stated detention principle that no-one will be detained indefinitely, when it is clear that those subject to those freezes have been discriminated against on the basis of their nationality and are indeed being detained indefinitely with no assessments being undertaken?

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