House debates Questions without Notice
Immigration Detention
Karen Andrews McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs
3:19 pm
( ) ( ): My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, if the Minister for Home Affairs's office and your office were advised on 15 December last year that the designation of Nauru as a regional processing centre had lapsed in October, why wasn't the issue dealt with on that day, given that parliament was sitting on 15 December?
Opposition members interjecting —
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! There is far too much noise. The question has been asked, and I give the call to the Minister for Home Affairs.
Clare O'Neil Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Home Affairs
3:20 pm
As the shadow minister for home affairs well knows, there's quite a process to redesignate Nauru as a regional processing country. We actually went through it all yesterday—you'd probably be aware of that. Quite a lot of documentation and consultation would have needed to occur, which did occur. I respect the questions of the shadow minister for home affairs, but I'd also point out that we did deal with this yesterday and Nauru has been redesignated.