Michaelia Cash WA, Liberal Party
2:23 pm
My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Evans. How many of the illegal entrants currently in the Christmas Island detention centre have no supportive documentation as to their identity?
Bob Brown Tasmania, Australian Greens
Mr President, I raise the same point of order that I raised yesterday.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Senators:
Opposition senators interjecting—
John Hogg President
Order! Senator Bob Brown is entitled to be heard in silence.
Bob Brown Tasmania, Australian Greens
I ask you to rule on standing order 73, which, as I read it, prohibits that terminology of ‘illegal’ immigrants or entrants in Christmas Island. It is factually wrong and pejorative and has imputations which should not be allowed in such a question.
John Hogg President
Senator Bob Brown, you did write to me on this matter this morning and I have written back to you outlining that I would allow the question to stand yesterday and I will allow the question to stand again today.
John Hogg President
That might be your view, but I am ruling that way. The question is in order. The question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Evans.
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
I note the deliberately provocative language, but I can inform Senator Cash that, in terms of the irregular maritime arrivals, all persons who are intercepted seeking to enter Australia in an unauthorised manner by boat are taken to Christmas Island for processing. The processing includes, in the initial stages, an interview and further processing for the purposes of establishing identity, health status and security checks. I made that clear in the earlier answer to Senator Back. The number of people who arrive with sufficient papers for identification varies. I do not have the exact figure. Some arrive with a passport or an identity document and others arrive with nothing at all. Some have other personal information. Many have virtually no personal possessions other than the clothes they stand up in.
What we do as a government is use the relevant agencies to interview and work with those asylum seekers to establish their identity, to ensure that they have no communicable diseases and that they are healthy and we begin a process of providing the appropriate security checks—exactly the same type of operation that occurred under the previous government. As we know with arrivals by air, many people have arrived by air with false documentation. So the mere possession of documentation would not be sufficient to identify the person. We do the appropriate checks through relevant Australian agencies to identify persons before they are processed.
Michaelia Cash WA, Liberal Party
Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. How did these people get into Indonesia prior to embarking for Australia without supportive documentation?
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
I suppose the first thing to say is: probably the same way people did in 1999, 2000, 2001 and nearly every year since.
Michaelia Cash WA, Liberal Party
Take responsibility for your failed policies.
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senator Cash, this may go down well in the right wing of the Liberal Party in Western Australia, but it is no substitute—
David Johnston WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senator Johnston, that is a very revealing interjection. I take that interjection.
David Johnston WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senator Johnston, I remind you that you are in opposition—a short period as a minister and you end up in opposition.
Ian Macdonald Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia
Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The Leader of the Government in the Senate has been here long enough to know that he should be addressing his remarks through the chair and not direct to senators.
John Hogg President
Senator Evans, you should be addressing your remarks through the chair. You have 37 seconds remaining.
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
As I say, people arrive with various levels of documentation. Some may have had documentation at earlier stages of their transit. We do have a series of measures that seek to try to work with our neighbouring nations to improve their entry and checking arrangements at their borders. The previous government and this government have invested a lot in border management in Indonesia to try to improve their systems. But, as you know, Senator, it is an archipelago—it has thousands of ports, thousands of entry places. They are developing a more sophisticated system. (Time expired)
Michaelia Cash WA, Liberal Party
Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will any of these illegal entrants be allowed into the Australian community prior to their full antecedents being verified?
Bob Brown Tasmania, Australian Greens
Mr President, I rise on a point of order. As the term ‘illegal entrants’ is a lie, I ask you to have it withdrawn.
John Hogg President
Senator Bob Brown, I have ruled before. The question will stand.
Simon Birmingham SA, Liberal Party
Mr President, I rise on a point of order.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Government Senators:
Government senators interjecting—
John Hogg President
Order! Wait a moment, Senator Birmingham. You are entitled to be heard in silence.
Simon Birmingham SA, Liberal Party
Mr President, under standing order 196, tedious repetition, I ask you to rule on Senator Brown’s continued points of order with regard to this matter—which you indicated you have already ruled upon.
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Clearly, today and yesterday mark a departure in tactics by the opposition. It was only two days ago that we had the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Turnbull, rebuking Mr Tuckey for his comments and allegations. In the last two days, we have had Senator Johnston alleging that people are bringing disease into the country that will destroy animal and human stock and Mr Tuckey alleging that they are all terrorists. And today we have had the opposition spokesman claiming that they are all Centrelink bludgers and that somehow they are entitled to Centrelink under us when they were not under the previous government.
Michaelia Cash WA, Liberal Party
Mr President, I rise on a point of order regarding relevance. The minister has had over 30 seconds to answer the question, and he has yet to address it. I asked quite clearly: will any of these illegal entrants be allowed into the Australian community prior to their full antecedents being verified? I would now appreciate an answer in the remaining 23 seconds.
Joe Ludwig Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate
Mr President, on the point of order: what we again have is abuse of the taking of a point of order in order to restate the question. The minister is being responsive to the question and providing an answer. I would ask that you rule the point of order out of order and remind those opposite that they should not use a point of order to restate their question. It is a poor tactic and it reflects badly on them.
John Hogg President
I remind Minister Evans that there are 23 seconds remaining to answer the question that has been asked.
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Thank you, Mr President. I remind Senator Cash that on three or four occasions already in question time I have reinforced the fact that health, identity and security checks are taken.
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senator, you asked me whether there were identity checks; I have told you three or four times already.
John Hogg President
Senator Evans, ignore the interjection; address the chair.
Chris Evans WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senator Cash, you ought to listen to the debate before you read out the same old question. I urge you not to go down the low road; it is very unbecoming. (Time expired)