Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, colleagues, I'm going to have to go to the question from Senator McKim, 'Does your government have the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time?' The answer is yes. Clearly, we showed that when we came into office and actually stopped the boats coming. You see, Senator McKim, you supported failed policies and, as such, when we came into government we had to clean up the mess that you created.

Just let me remind you, Senator McKim: 50,000 people arriving on more than 800 boats; 1,200 lives—and Senator Hanson-Young will remember this well—tragically lost at sea; and over 8,000 children detained whilst Labor were in government. In July 2013, just to remind Senator McKim, there were 10,201 people in detention, including almost 2,000 children.