Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Everybody knows in this country that the government needs to keep control of its borders, and people know that when Mr Howard left office in 2007 there were four people in detention, including no children. We know that when Labor took office they brought 50,000 people in on 800 boats, 1,200 people drowned at sea and 8,000 children went into detention, and it was a disgrace.

We have spent every day since then cleaning up Labor's mess. We have got all of the children out of detention and closed 17 detention centres in Australia. We are working to get the people off Manus and Nauru that Labor put there. We have an arrangement with the United States. We've now had 439 people leave Manus and Nauru to go to the United States. We've reduced down to around 52 the number of children on Nauru. People are living in the community and we are getting them off methodically, as we have done.

An honourable member: Bring them here.

I hear an interjection saying, 'Bring them here.' 'Bring them here,' Labor says. Let me say this: if you want to see children in detention, vote for Labor.

Dr Freelander interjecting—

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