Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Human Rights Commission has detailed serious concerns about the wellbeing of children in detention. Beyond the statement of Senator Brandis last night, how will the government respond to these new disturbing findings?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I really am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition should raise this subject in question time today. At its peak in the middle of 2013, under members opposite when they were in government, there were almost 2,000 children in detention. If members opposite are upset, they should be hanging their heads in shame with their own performance. In the middle of 2013 at the time of the election, there were almost 1,400 children in detention, now there are under 200 children in detention. Under us, there has been a 90 per cent improvement. Why are there only 10 per cent of the numbers in detention under us than there were under Labor? It is because we stopped the boats.

The Leader of the Opposition asked a question of baffling folly, of absolutely incomprehensible folly, and I ask the Leader of the Opposition: where was the Human Rights Commission when members opposite were in government, when the boats were coming, when the people were drowning and when the children in detention were mounting up and up? Where was the Human Rights Commission? We do know from evidence in the Senate that there were conversations between the Human Rights Commission and ministers in the former government.

It would be a lot easier to respect the Human Rights Commission if it did not engage in what are transparent stitch-ups like the one that was released the other day. I say to the Human Rights Commission: if you are concerned about real human rights, real human decency, real compassion for people, you should be writing congratulatory letters to the former Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, who has stopped the boats, who has saved lives and who has got children out of detention.

I am going to do the Leader of the Opposition this favour: there will not be a royal commission into children in detention because if there was a royal commission into children in detention it would condemn Labor and, frankly, they stand condemned already.