Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on what is a very important issue. My judgement is that the member has taken offence at that part of my question that went to the Greens being complicit with the Labor Party in the number of people, numbering 1,200, who drowned at sea under their watch. Now, I made no such suggestion as the member suggests in relation to Baby Asha. In fact, I was asked a question this morning on the Today show by Lisa Wilkinson about whether or not there is an investigation. I did confirm, because I had received advice, that there had been, or there is, an investigation being conducted by the Queensland police and that it was not a matter for me to comment on. I have not made any public comment in relation to this particular matter, and I make no further comment today. The police and the family services from Queensland have carriage of any investigation in this area and it is completely and utterly an issue for them.

So, I pass no judgement, I make no comment in relation to it. The only action we have taken in relation to Baby Asha is to provide evacuation from Nauru because the medical assistance was not able to be provided on Nauru, and that baby has been brought to Australia and provided with medical assistance at the Lady Cilento hospital in Brisbane. The advice that I received through my department was that the baby had received the medical attention and required no further medical attention. On that basis, the doctors were willing to release the baby from hospital. The next step that took place was that there was a transfer this morning from the hospital. The baby and her family will reside in community detention, as is the case for 83 others who have come from Nauru, received medical assistance or are part of a family group where one person or more has received medical assistance, and that has been the way in which we have got the numbers of children down.

I have spoken in this House before, and I know the Greens do not like this, but we got the numbers down—bearing in mind that 8,000 children were in detention when Labor and the Greens were in power in this country. The number is now less than 80, and the reason it is less than 80 is that I have allowed the children within the group of 83 out into community detention. My intention is to reduce that number from 75 down to zero, because I have said to this House before and I will repeat it today: I am not going to cop sanctimonious lectures from the Greens, who presided over people drowning at sea and record numbers of children in detention. I am going to get children out of detention and I am going to make sure that we keep the boats stopped so that we do not see a repeat of men, women and children drowning at sea.

So, this cooked up situation that the Greens are trying to present to the parliament today needs to be seen for what it is. They are embarrassed by their record. They are humiliated by their record. And I can say, in direct answer to the honourable member's question, which he put in his contribution, as to whether or not I can say that no people have drowned at sea since Operation Sovereign Borders commenced: yes, I can confirm that on the advice available to me not one death, not one injury has been incurred at sea, and that is a significant improvement. We are not going to tolerate these lectures from the Greens, because they have demonstrated time and time again that they are hypocrites, and that is why the censure motion proposed by the member should be rejected.

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