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

Senator McKim, I do not assume several of the premises of the multiple questions that you have asked and, even if I did, I would not be in a position to provide that information, assuming such information exists in reality. But what I can tell you—as you said in your introductory words to your question—is that it is indeed more than 800 days since an asylum-seeker vessel penetrated Australia. Therefore, for 800 days, this government, first under the leadership of Mr Tony Abbott, then under the leadership of Mr Malcolm Turnbull, has discharged the fundamental obligation of any Australian government, and that is to keep our borders secure. As a result of that, we have driven the people smugglers out of business so that innocent women and children are no longer drowning at sea. More than 1,200 people—before the policies introduced by the coalition—that we know about and an uncounted number that we do not know about drowned at sea as a result of the policies of the previous Labor government. The other thing that we know is that the number of children held in detention in Australia today is zero. I do not know what it is about the word or the number 'zero' that you do not understand. When we came into office, the number of children in detention in Australia had peaked at 1,992—that is, 1,992 to zero. (Time expired)