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

I thank Senator Humphries for the question, although I am sure he is not serious about the second part of it. There was some reporting in the News Ltd newspapers today, some of which was accurate based on my public statements over many months, some of which was based on alleged intelligence information—which, obviously, I would not comment on, but the journalists claimed to have been briefed on intelligence information—but a lot of it was based on what was already on the record. What is on the record, as Senator Humphries well knows, is that for months and months now the government has made it clear that if we need extra capacity beyond that which is on Christmas Island we would use the detention immigration centre in Darwin—the one built by the Howard government for that purpose. We would use that centre for the purpose of meeting any extra demand beyond our capacity on Christmas Island. I also made it clear that we would transfer people from Christmas Island for the final stages of processing if we would need to use that capacity. This is all on the public record. It has been on the public record for months.

I take the opportunity too to correct the misinformation that Mr Morrison, the opposition’s spokesman on immigration, continues to peddle. That is, those persons who are transferred from Christmas Island will be treated legally as offshore entry persons—that is the legal status under the Howard government’s legislation. So persons who have been processed initially on Christmas Island, which is our plan, will remain offshore entry persons and have the legal regime attached to that definition. I can confirm to Senator Humphries and the Senate what I have said publicly now for at least six months.