Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Attorney-General. I refer the Attorney-General to yesterday’s transportation of another 52 recently intercepted asylum seekers to Christmas Island and to reports that tensions continue to rise at the Christmas Island detention centre due to overcrowding. Will the Attorney-General inform the House how many asylum seekers are now detained in the Christmas Island detention centre; what is the current capacity of the centre; and what contingency plans the government has in place to detain further unauthorised arrivals beyond providing further makeshift accommodation on Christmas Island?

Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am advised that as at yesterday, as I understand it, there were 1,170 persons in the Christmas Island facility. The facility has capacity for 1,400 people currently but steps are in place to expand capabilities. In particular, 70 demountable buildings are in the process of being transported or erected—I am not currently sure of the precise location of those. They will be erected on land which occupies some 10 hectares, so there is plenty of land. As the Prime Minister has indicated, the Minister for Immigration has indicated what contingency plans would be available but the current efforts in place—

Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is that Darwin?

Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member interjects as to whether that contingency plan would involve Darwin. The Minister for Immigration is on record as saying that that would be the contingency plan.