Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator Cash. Will the minister update the Senate on a ruling by the High Court this morning and any implications this has on the government's ability to maintain the offshore processing of those who attempt to arrive in Australia illegally by boat?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Edwards for his question. I am pleased to advise the Senate that this morning the High Court of Australia handed down its judgement in the matter of Plaintiff S156/2013 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection & Anor. In a unanimous decision—and a very short decision—the court found as follows.

The regional processing provisions in the Migration Act are consistent with the Constitution and are therefore valid laws. The decision to designate Papua New Guinea as a regional processing country and the minister's decision as to whether IMAs should be taken to PNG or Nauru were both lawful. The High Court's decision means that IMAs will continue to be transferred to regional processing countries and their claims will be assessed and processed in those countries.

In relation to the second part of the senator's question, I confirm that the High Court ruling has no impact at all on Operation Sovereign Borders and the continuation under the Abbott government of offshore processing. Offshore processing clearly works. I will again go through the figures to remind those on the other side of the success of the policies that they failed to implement. To date, it has been 181 days, or almost 25 weeks, since there has been a successful people-smuggling venture to Australia. There has been no life lost at sea in that time, unlike the thousand people who were confirmed dead under the former government's policies, which were wholeheartedly supported by Senator Hanson-Young. It is a little ironic that it is Refugee Week isn't it, when Senator Hanson-Young supported policies that ultimately resulted in the deaths of 1,000 people. In terms of the number of people who arrived between 20 December 2012 and 18 June, 12,632 people—(Time expired)

Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister and ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware of any continuing opposition to offshore processing which may jeopardise its continuation?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We saw that on display yesterday in relation to the hopelessly divided Labor Party. You have the shadow minister for immigration who is on the record as saying the Labor Party continues to be committed to offshore—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Cash, please resume your seat.

Senator Colbeck interjecting—

Senator Jacinta Collins interjecting—

Order, Senators Colbeck and Collins! It will assist the conduct of business if people do not shout across the chamber.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Clearly, the truth hurts—because it clearly got a reaction from the other side. They remain hopelessly divided when it comes to the issue of offshore processing. You have the current shadow minister for immigration who puts what I believe is his position on the record, and that is that Labor is committed to offshore processing. You then have a former minister for immigration, in former Minister O'Connor, who comes out and openly says the Labor Party may revisit the issue of offshore processing in the future. It is a little bit like, 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead.' We have heard that one before and we all know what happened. We are committed to offshore processing—(Time expired)

Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My final question of the minister is: can you, Minister, inform the Senate how the prevention of any successful people-smuggling ventures to Australia by boat for nearly six months has alleviated pressure on the offshore detention network?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tell us about the prison ship. How many are on the prison ship?

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence, we will proceed.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When you have a government that introduces a policy that is a successful policy and results in 181 days, to date, of no people arriving, it means that you can finally start to reverse the detention centre revolution that the other side put in place. Because we have reduced the number of people coming to Australia, because of the fact that a total of 1,127 people have voluntarily departed or been removed since the inception of Operation Sovereign Borders—this government is now able to commence to close, or in some cases has closed, the detention centres that the former government opened because of their failed policies. Senator Edwards is from South Australia. He will be well aware that the Inverbrackie detention centre will be closed by the end of 2014. That is because our policies work.