Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I might start again. My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Watt, and, despite the jovial start, it is a serious question. Minister, according to the Department of Home Affairs, there are 92 people who arrived by boat to seek asylum in Australia still stranded on Nauru. It seems from answers in Senate estimates this week that the government has no idea how many have been left to languish in Papua New Guinea and, in fact, couldn't care less. But I can inform the government that that number is 94.

Minister, it's been almost 10 years since a Labor government first exiled those people offshore. Why will your Labor government not offer those 186 people temporary resettlement in Australia so they can be cared for and supported here while arrangements are being made for their permanent resettlement in a third country?