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

In respect of document No. 84, the 2017-18 report of the Department of Home Affairs, I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

Obviously, the Department of Home Affairs is responsible for Australia's cruel offshore detention regime. As someone who has been to Manus Island many times and witnessed firsthand the human cost of Australia's offshore detention regime, I can very clearly let the Senate know that this is a humanitarian calamity that has been caused by the cruel policy lock step of the ALP and the LNP in this place.

We've seen many, many hundreds of people over the years exiled to either Manus Island or Nauru. They are Australia's political prisoners. We are well aware—or we should be aware—that there have been murders, assaults and sexual assaults, including sexual assaults of children. We have seen riots. We have seen detainees shot at. We have seen detainees being beaten and abused. We have seen children who are in a catatonic state who have basically withdrawn from the world because of the trauma they have suffered at the hands of the ALP and the LNP due to decisions made by both of those political parties while they were in government in this country, including decisions taken by the current Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, when he was immigration minister.

As the Australian Greens' immigration spokesperson, part of my job is to bear witness to what is going on on Manus Island and Nauru. It's very clearly on the record that I have been to Manus Island many times. But I recently applied for a visa to visit Nauru, and that was rejected by the Nauruan government. Interestingly, in the communication—

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim, pursuant to an order earlier in the day, the debate is interrupted. Leave is granted for you to continue your remarks.