Kristina Keneally (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Reynolds. The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed:

From 1 July 2014 to 31 January 2019, 81,596 Protection visa applications were lodged by persons who entered Australia lawfully by air.

Ninety per cent of these airplane people were found not to be refugees. In that same period we have seen bridging visas blowout from 94,000 to almost 230,000. That's an increase of over 140 per cent. Why has the minister allowed for the large blowout in bridging visas and airplane people under his watch?